


The Question We Share

by AdmantCrow



Series: The Time of Their Lives [3]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), And nothing explicit, Anxiety, Bad Parenting, But only a little, Conflict, F/F, F/M, Future, Gaming, Living Together, Love, Marriage Proposal, Meeting the Parents, Plans For The Future, Reunions, Seven Years Later, Sex, Side Gundham/Sonia, Side Peko/Mikan, Time Progression, Wedding, Will add tags as the story progresses, wingman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 44,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24709750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdmantCrow/pseuds/AdmantCrow
Summary: It's been seven years since Hajime and Chiaki, now both 25, left Hope's Peak Academy and began a life together in Kyoto. With steady jobs, great friends, and a solid foundation for their future, a new question begins to form in their minds, even as new challenges and anxieties begin to plague them once more.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Nanami Chiaki, Pekoyama Peko/Tsumiki Mikan
Series: The Time of Their Lives [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/969939
Comments: 16
Kudos: 85





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! If you're reading this, I hope you enjoy. This is a follow up to my previous Hinata/Chiaki stories 'The Time of Their Lives' and 'The Big Surprise', so you should probably check those out before this one! Otherwise, enjoy!

“What!?” Fuyuhiko gaped, staring at his foster sister and her partner. Hajime simply grinned and knelt on one arm. Conversely, Chiaki looked up from the beef she was eating, seemingly having missed Peko’s announcement.

It had been seven years since they had all departed Hope’s Peak Academy - of their year’s class, plus Hajime, who had been a member of the Reserve Course, himself, Fuyuhiko, Peko, Mikan, and Chiaki had all ended up settling in Kyoto, for a variety of reasons. Fuyuhiko had come to lead the Kuzuryu yakuza family’s Kyoto Branch, his foster sister Peko coming as his right hand. Mikan, having been in a relationship with Peko at that point, had also followed her to Kyoto, taking a highly respected doctor position at Kyoto’s largest hospital. Chiaki and Hajime, highschool sweethearts as they were, found an apartment to live in Kyoto, Chiaki beginning her career in game development whilst Hajime continued to study at university, looking to work as a school counselor in the near future. After graduating university, Hajime was hired as a councillor and general mental health worker for a medium sized school in downtown Kyoto. He was now 25, and had been working there for three years. The five of them, living in the same town, had stayed close, getting together once every couple of weeks, though Hajime and Fuyuhiko frequently hung out on weekends. They occasionally saw the other members of their class, but with everyone busy and spread out, they were far and few between. Tonight,

“Like I said.” Peko smiled, glancing over at Mikan, who was holding her hand tightly and doing everything in her power to not explode into tears. “Last night, when we were walking home, Mikan proposed to me. No warning, no special scenario. She’d said it had just felt right, and she’d wanted to ask me for years, and the question just had to get out.

“Why didn’t you tell  _ me _ today!?” Fuyuhiko yelled in mock anger, unable to mask his baby-faced grin. “I’m your brother for god’s sake! In a second he was out of his chair, embracing his foster sister and her new fiance in turn. Hajime followed, wrapping an arm around Peko gently.

“Congrats, Peko.” Hajime smiled, patting her on the back. “At least you don’t have to go through what you planned at the bar.” Peko’s cheeks went a little red. A few weeks ago, Peko and talked to Hajime for advice about proposing to Mikan, but after a few drinks her plans had gone from mundane to a very dramatic expression of love that made Hajime both laugh and cringe in unison. Moving on, he embraced Mikan too, his shirt quickly being stained from her tears of joy. Soon, Chiaki reached Mikan to give her congratulations. Very seriously, Chiaki clapped her on the shoulder, smiling.

“Honestly, Mikan, I never expected you to be the one to progress past the point of no return.” Mikan gave her a long, confused state.

“T-That seems mildly worrying.” She replied, making Hajime roar with laughter at her tepid response.

It was a work night for many of them, but none of them really cared. They celebrated near until midnight, laughing and regaling in a variety of memories, mostly serving to just embarrass the newly engaged couple, talking about their plans for the future. Whilst happy to be engaged, Peko said they don’t plan to actually get married for a while, since they’re both so busy with everything in their lives. 

As the clock ticked past eleven, Hajime found himself sitting outside, looking at the view from the high-rise apartment. Mikan was out cold, her announcement and sheer joy, coupled with anxiety, forcing her to turn in a little early. Peko was chatting with Chiaki about one thing or another, and Hajime glanced at the door as his best friend strode out, joining Hajime at the railing.

“You’ve been kind of out of it, man.” Fuyuhiko murmured, looking out on the city below. Hajime just grunted a response, yawning as he did so. “What’s going on, then? No issues with work? Not with Chiaki, right?” Hajime just laughed, stretching his arms over the railing.

“Nah, nothing like that.” He said, smiling from his friend’s concern. Fuyuhiko coughed from embarrassment, facing a little away from his best friend.

“What’re you smiling about, ass?” Fuyuhiko grunted, tapping his fingers a little. “It’s not like I could help with crap like that, like I know about relationships and shit like that. So what’s the big rainy cloud over your head, then?” He asked again. Hajime sighed, knowing he had to talk to someone else about this, and who better than his best friend?   
  
“My parents called a few nights ago. They’re coming to visit the apartment tomorrow night, after work.” 

Hajime’s relationship with his parents was… tenuous, at best. They worked often and long hours, leaving Hajime alone at home for long periods of time, and their treatment of him could be cold and frustrated. Many of the anxieties and inadequacies that plagued him, even to this day, were born in family home. At least his parents weren’t actively antagonistic towards him, rather than anything else… at least, until he graduated. They’d never told him, but Hajime knew they had high expectations for him after graduating Hope’s Peak, even as a Reserve Course member. So when they found out he was looking for a relatively quiet job as a school counselor, a job that he found and a job he’d loved for three years now, his parent's demeanour grew far worse.

“Ah. Those asses. What are they complaining about this time? Still bitter about the job you snagged?” Fuyuhiko asked.

“They don’t like Chiaki.” Hajime sighed,resting his chin on the railing. “Even if not personally, I guess her job and skills don’t really scream ‘ideal partner’ to them. She wants to be welcoming to them, and I love her for that, but I’m just...ugh.” He flicked his hands in the air to generally state his frustration with the situation.

“Your parents are assholes, but you’ve heard me rant all that before.” Fuyuhiko admitted. “And if you’re not gonna be smart and cut them out, you just gotta be honest. You two are fucking made for each other, and it’s bloody important they realise that before they ruin it.” What his friend said made sense, but Hajime just didn’t know how to word it to his parents.

“They don’t see you how she does, y’know.” Fuyuhiko said. “Or how any of us do. Out of any of us from the Hope’s Peak gang that got together, my money was always on you two going the distance, and I still think that. So.” He added, slapping his best friend on the back. “Don’t let your shithead parents ruin that, y’here? Or I’m out a lot of money, because of them!” He laughed, making Hajime raise his eyebrows.

“Money…? Fuyuhiko, what kind of bets are you making about my relationship?” He grinned, clapping his best friend on the shoulder.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” And then they were both laughing, and Hajime felt the pressure leave him. There were some things he couldn’t discuss with Chiaki, out of fear or necessity, and he was forever grateful that he had such a loyal and close friend he could shoot the shit with, whenever. Sometimes, he’d see a look on Fuyuhiko’s face when he didn’t think Hajime was looking, and bits and pieces of what Peko had mentioned gave rise to the possibility Fuyuhiko felt, well,  _ something _ for Hajime, but it was clear he seemed to value his friendship far more.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Chiaki called out from the door. “Hajime, are you ready to burn rubber? Which is to say, Peko’s rubber? Peko’s close to passing out so she’s asking if we want to be driven home.”

“Sure, sure.” Hajime called back, turning back to his best friend as Chiaki went back inside. “Guess I’ll catch you around, Fuyuhiko.” He held out his hand, and his friend grasped it tightly.

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll catch up soon. Let me know how tomorrow goes, ‘aight?” Fuyuhiko replied, smiling. “I’m sure they’ll be fine, but just in case…”   
  
“Don’t intimidate my parents, please.” Hajime replied, and the two broke out into a great laugh, a perfect way to cap off a great night.

* * *

Peko drove Hajime and Chiaki home after everyone said their goodbyes, since they left so late. Considering how tired they all were, they talked little, but Peko was just emanating with a new level of radiance that was rather uncharacteristic of the swordswoman. It wasn’t far, and they soon found themselves in front of the apartment building Hajime and Chiaki called home.

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow night then, Chiaki.” Peko said, reaching out the window to give Chiaki half a hug.

“Aye aye.” Chiaki said sleepily, saluting.

“See ya around, Peko.” Hajime patted her shoulder though the window. Congrats, again.” Peko beamed that radiance peaking out again.

“Don’t be a stranger, Hajime.” She told him, and then she was gone, driving off into the night. In silence, Hajime and Chiaki headed in, catching the elevator up to their floor, letting themselves into the apartment and heading directly to their bedroom, too tired to even think of doing anything else.

“I’m soooooo tired.” Chiaki said, yawning as she said ‘so’. “Gotta recharge for gamer work.” She added, yawning again.

“Anything special happening at work tomorrow?” Hajime asked as they strode into their bedroom, tossing his coat aside as he stretched. Chiaki yawned softly, sitting down on the bed to do her shoes. “Y’know, that you need to recharge for?” He added, with a smile.

“Nah.” She said distantly. “We’re going through a big thorough test of the game, so it’s probably just a lot of that tomorrow. Which is fine and all, but I always start to zone out and just think ‘hey, I wonder what I could be grinding in Monster Hunter right now’, so I gotta shake myself up so I don’t miss bugs and stuff.” 

Chiaki was still working at the same game studio as she was when she was hired right out of Hope’s Peak, and had quickly risen through the hierarchy of the studio. Right now, she was working as an assistant producer, being groomed for a role leading production on her own game. Work was hard, but she’d thrown her devotion into it harder then ever before, and there was a new level of radiance coming from her that wasn’t there before. On the other hand, she was even more exhausted when they eventually got to bed, and it was almost impressive the near-robotic way she’d pass out around five minutes after hitting the pillow.

Well, at least on nights when ‘other’ priorities had to be attended to.

“I wouldn’t be able to test a game.” Hajime admitted, beginning to undress. “I do paperwork and stuff, but I need to vary up work, or I just go insane.”   
  
“Oh, I looooooove repetitive stuff, as you know.” She giggled, getting out of her dress. “I could do one task for a day straight and not get bored at all. It’s great.” Hajime shook his head, not following. There were some things about her he couldn’t follow. Though, saying that, he did get into some of those real grindy games Chiaki liked, so maybe he needed variety in work and not play. “What a good night.” Chiaki added once she was done undressing, pulling on a faded Donkey Kong shirt that served as her pajamas for the night. 

“Mm.” Hajime agreed, tossing his dress shirt over into a (rather large) pile of laundry. “Y’know, thinking back, I’m floored Mikan took this long to actually ask Peko. It’s always been obvious how crazy she was about her, and Peko never seemed like the kind of person who’d be the one to pop the question.”   
  
“Oh, Mikan was planning it for months.” Chiaki said absent-mindedly. “Do you remember what we got up to in Binary Domain?” She added, as if that was a natural evolution of their talk. Hajime narrowed his eyes, waving a hand dramatically in the air as he pulled on some pajama pants, leaving his torso bare.

“Wait, wait, wait, Chiaki.” Hajime said. “You knew she was planning to propose?” Chiaki nodded, a tired, goofy smile on her lips.

“Yeah, Mikan confided in me a few months ago, I think.” She looked up at the ceiling, as if that held the answer. “I think she told me, because she needed to tell someone out of stress, and I was most likely to forget so… ohhh.” 

“You’re a real fool, sometimes.” Hajime sighed jokingly, Chiaki flashing him a mock scowl, and so they continued to prepare for bed in silence for a few minutes. 

“You still okay with my parents coming for dinner?” Hajime finally asked, and he saw Chiaki’s shoulders slump. They’d met once before, about six years ago when they first moved to Kyoto. They… hadn’t hit it off well, his rather old-fashioned parents taking issue with their somewhat lazy lifestyle and Chiaki’s role as a game developer and general, well, obsession with video games. They were nice enough, sure, but anyone could’ve read the room and known that his parents were not happy with Hajime’s choice of partner, for whatever reasons they had. After that, Hajime had gone to visit a few times a year, and their contact with Chiaki was limited to a few phone calls, at best.

“I’ll train hard.” She told him, holding her fists up as if she was battling some invisible opponent. Hajime felt a little bit of relief, witholding a chuckle as he clambered into bed. “What is it?” She pouted, actually making her partner laugh this time.

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing, really.” He shook his head. “Come on, get the light or you’ll get cold.” She kept pouting at him a little, but did as he said, since wearing just an oversized Donkey Kong shirt wasn’t doing her cold legs any favours. As she climbed in next to him, Hajime shivered.

“What is it now?” She mocked sighed, rubbing up against him, drawing out his body heat. 

“You’re damned cold, that’s what.” Hajime grunted, pulling her tightly against himself regardless, hand rubbing at her chilly legs to underline his point.

“It’s just a debuff given at birth.” She murmured into his shoulder, Hajime not being able to restrain a laugh. They lay in comfy silence for a few minutes, until Chiaki murmured, making Hajime twitch a little. He almost thought she’d fallen asleep.

“Are you sure they won’t mind me going out with the others?” Chiaki asked, snuggling up against his broad chest, referring to his parents. Hajime listlessly played with her hair, tossing it back and forth as they lay there in darkness. It would be fine, right?

“Yeah. It’ll be fine.” Hajime assured her, worry still present in his voice. “I’ll take care of it, either way." Chiaki sat herself up on his chest, Hajime barely able to see her in the darkness.

“You’re too good to me, sometimes.” Chiaki murmured, resting her forehead against his. “Like an overpowered party member.” Hajime chuckled a little. “I mean it!” Chiaki added, leaning forward to kiss him lightly. Hajime smiled against her lips, but her kisses continued. Tender. Passionate. Loving. He never would’ve guessed after they began dating that Chiaki would be the more physical of the two, and her game of physical affection still surprised him.

They kissed tenderly for a few minutes, Chiaki lightly stroking at his belly as they did so, until she drew back, breathing a little heavily.

“Do you, um, want to…?” She murmured. Oh, how’d he’d want to stay up all night in her arms, getting  _ no sleep at all _ , but with the stress of tomorrow, and how late it was… he felt bad, but he gently shook his head.

“Sorry, Chiaki.” He murmured, feeling down for not being in the mood for lovemaking. “Just… not feeling it tonight, y’know. Tomorrow, maybe?” Thankfully, she didn’t seem too concerned.

“That’s okay.” She whispered, cuddling up to him a bit more. “I’m impatient, but the best games are the ones you gotta wait for. And since I won’t have time to play tomorrow, I can make up for it… a little…” She leaned in for another kiss, and Hajime couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah.” He whispered back, pulling the blankets a little more over the two of them. He could already feel sleep clawing at his partner, despite how much she wanted before to be intimate. So, resting his head against Chiaki’s shoulder, he whispered to her. “I’m gonna let you sleep. I love you, Chiaki.” She made some vague noise of protest, which was heavily undermined by a huge yawn.

“I guess… I can’t argue.” She murmured drowsily.”Goodnight, Hajime. I love you too.” Leaning up weakly to give him another kiss, she settled back down in his arms and almost instantly, she’d nodded off to sleep.

Even after her snores began to fill the room, Hajime lay awake, concerned and anxious over his parents' visits , keeping him awake long into the night. Things were going to go just fine… right? Everything else in life had been going so well for him, so this… had to… as well.

Hajime didn’t dream much that night.

* * *

Thankfully, Chiaki was able to get off work an hour early. Management was so good to her - they were perfectly happy letting her go a little earlier, considering her work output as a game dev was nearly triple her workmates. She used that extra hour to head home, and set about clearing up the living room for Hajime’s parent’s visit. First, she cleared up the dozens of papers strewn across the living room table. She made sure to separate papers that were for Hajime’s work, and the others that were for her other games. Sometimes, when he had too much work to do, he just watched her as he filled out paperwork, and it was just as genuinely lovely as playing along with him in actual games. On that note, though, the two of them had been playing Monster Hunter on the Switch, and they were having a great time writing down loot and gear they needed to farm for. Chiaki moved to tidying the game shelf, trying to make the ‘wall of games’ not look as monolithic and messy as it usually was. She was so entranced in sorting things out that she almost forgot to put on dinner, since Hajime was home at ‘5 and his parents were expected pretty soon after. As the food was prepared, she continued to move around, trying not to think about how stressed she was about seeing Hajime’s parents.

They didn’t like her, that was obvious. She understood she was kind of weird, She talked slowly, she lacked focus, and her interests weren’t exactly in line with Hajime’s relatively conservative parents. But she knew that this gathering was important to Hajime, and it was important to him for them all to get along well, and she wanted to do anything to support the man she cared so much for. Honestly, once she’d considered ending their relationship, based on how cold and antagonistic his parents were towards her, but Hajime had put his foot down and told her that he loved her more than he was worried by his parents, and he’d work out anything.Man, she’d been in a state of euphoria for a week after he told her that. His anxiety has lessened since their days in Hope’s Peak, but his parents were still a huge part of his worries, and Chiaki knew she had to help temper that worry. So, she was terrified, but last night had given her new strength. She didn’t remotely know how to go about it, but for now she just had to support the man she loved so much. Though, she did worry about leaving so soon after they arrived, but she  _ had _ already promised Peko and Mikan before.

“Hey hey.” A voice called out, interrupting her thoughts, as the front door opened, and Chiaki whipped about to see a very tired and worn out Hajime emerge into their home. Seeing his face never failed to make her smile and heart beat a little bit faster, even when he was so tired.

“Hey.” Chiaki beamed, quickly striding over to him to wrap her arms around his middle once his bag and coat were off. He did look tired. He was out early this morning, and he probably didn’t sleep well last night. “Doing okay?” She added, rubbing his cheek gently. Hajime couldn’t help but smile at her affections.

  
“Yeah, I’m okay.” He told her, leaning down to give her a peck. “Nothing too dramatic at work, some kids came in for being disruptive in class, but nothing too dramatic like last week.” That was good, Chiaki thought. No disruptions at work to weight down his mind whilst his parents were here, though it was clear the worry was eating away at him “Is there food on?” He asked, glancing around the room.

“Mhm. Curry rice. Because just about everyone likes curry rice… I think, at least.” She told him, deadpan, trying to get a laugh out of him. Hajime nodded, that worry still present in his eyes. “It’ll be okay. I know it.” She told him, rubbing his shoulder. Hajime gave her a long look, but then he relaxed a little bit.

“I know. Just… dealing with my parents is so… ugh.” He threw his hands up in the air, but some of that tension was gone. “I wish I could just chill out, play some games, get all this stress out.” Chiaki sighed, nodding her head in agreement.

“I wish you got off work a little earlier today. With your parents coming and me having plans with Mikan and Peko, we’re not gonna have any time for games tonight. And we were so close to the end of Metroid Prime 2, too…” Hajime gave her a long look, and she found herself pouting as he began to laugh. “What is it!?” She demanded, her smile breaking through.

“Well, they might be a little longer, so-” Hajime began, and then:

There was a knock on that door, and they both froze up.

“The boss is here.” Chiaki instantly said, and that made Hajime crack another smile. “Time to get one-shot.” She added, sighing.

“You’ll do fine. And if they’ve got a problem with you going out, I’ll deal with it.” Hajime promised, rubbing her back. “You ready?” Hajime said, looking more than mildly terrified.

“Yeah. I-I’ll be ok… I guess, at least.” Chiaki stammered, giving his hand a squeeze. “I love you.” She added, smiling. He smiled at her again, and how could she ever be scared when he looked at her like that? Letting go of her hand, Hajime took a deep breath, and walked to the door, opening it. 

And there they were - Mr. and Mrs. Hinata, and as soon as they were in view they fixed Chiaki with this stare that she just didn’t understand, but filled her with this dread she couldn’t process. Why weren’t people easier to understand!? She reached out and held Hajime’s hand, drinking in the buff that he bestowed on her.

“Hey, Mom. Dad.” Hajime smiled, opening the door a bit wider to let his parents in.

“W-Welcome to o-our home.” Chiaki said with a little bow, the nerves practically emanating from her. 

“Good evening.” Hajime’s mother smiled, his father giving a gruff acknowledgement as they strode into the living room. Hajime closed the door behind them, almost hesitating as he did so, as if he was resigning himself to whatever was going to happen. Chiaki felt it, too. This was going to be a hard boss, she knew that. But sometimes, there was that special challenge where you can defeat the final boss at the start and get a reward. And with the reward she had in mind, the reward that formed in her silly little head last night...

Well, considering the reward she was aiming for, of course the final boss would be so terrifying.


	2. Chapter 2

Hajime briefly showed his parents around the apartment as Chiaki dished up dinner. Not that that was much, really just their bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room, which both his parents showed visible displeasure at the hundreds and hundreds of video games and video game related material practically coating the room. Thankfully, he didn’t have to explain anything, as Chiaki picked that moment to announce the food was ready. Having his parents seated, Hajime hurried to his partner’s side, giving her a quick peck on the cheek as he took the plates from her for his parents.

“Thank you for the good timing.” He whispered, grinning a little. “They seem to be in a good enough mood, at least.”   
  
“The battlefield look dangerous, yet defeatable.” Chiaki said resolutely, picking up her and Hajime’s plates. Hajime shook his head in exasperation, and took the food to his waiting his parents.

“Here you go.” Hajime said softly as he placed each plate in front of each family member. That was a thought that was growing more natural in his head, thinking of Chiaki as his family.

“Thank you, Hajime.” His mother replied, smiling as she began to eat once all four were seated. His father just grunted again, and for a minute the silence continued.His parents kept glancing at Chiaki, and the silence was beginning to feel rather crushing, so Hajime decided to break the ice with, well, anything.

“So, how’s work been, Dad?” Hajime asked, shoveling food into his mouth so he’d have to talk less. Chiaki had a similar idea. His father just shrugged.

“Nothing out of the ordinary. Business is as usual, people always need computers, so work is always steady.” Dang, Hajime thought. He was hoping he’d waffle on a bit more then that. What was more concering, was his mother’s eyes darting around to pretty much every corner of the room. Even with the two of them cleaning up the kitchen and the living room, the sheer amount of  _ things _ they owned, ranging from Hajime’s work and personal books, to their shared massive bookcase/wall of video games, gave the impression of a more slovenly lifestyle - which wasn’t exactly inaccurate, to be fair. “Chiaki, how has your… work been progressing?” Hajime felt his entire body cringe. 

“Well, at the moment, we’re in the middle of hardcore testing, so it’s just a lot of doing the same kind of things over and over again, a lot of debugging, though tomorrow we’re starting a kind of group playthrough of the endgame, since we’re starting to close in on release date. Oh, and we’ve also got to contact the composers, since the music needs to be ready before…” Her voice trailed off when she realized the blank stares Hajime’s parents were giving her. They knew  _ nothing _ about video games, and everything she said just sounded like, well, insanity. “Work is going well… I suppose.” She ended quietly, and dinner progressed quietly for a little while. Eventually, she spoke up again. “Oh yeah, Hajime, tell your parents about that thing from work.” Hajime promised to remember to thank her for coming up with a conversation topic, before telling his parents about the spate of bullying he’d been dealing with at the school. It had been a nearly month long ordeal, with half a dozen younger students being bullied by a trio of older ones. The younger students had sturggled to speak about the bullying, but eventually Hajime had gotten them calm and safe enough that he’d been able to coax out some names, eventually leading to the suspension and later (after an incident when one of the bullies came out after Hajime himself), expulsion. Chiaki beamed with pride at how he’d handled the situation, but his parents just frowned. Hajime ignored the pang in his chest, expecting something, anything from his parents, but there was just this aura of… displeasure.

“You did really well, Hajime.” Chiaki finally said, reaching out to grip his hand. “Those kids are really lucky to have you at that school.” His father glanced over at Hajime, still frowning.

“If it took over a month to deal with, I’m not sure I’d call that success.The fact there was such a situation at all was a problem in itself.” His wife nodded in agreement.

“It isn’t that simple.” Hajime murmured, but his father just shrugged.

“You get the names out of the bullied, you expel the bullies, and everyone goes on like normal. Simple as that.”   
  
“It really isn’t.” Hajime replied through grit teeth, his temper flaring. He was probably going to follow that up with another remark, but Chiaki tugged on his sleeve, tapping her watch. Right, she had to leave in a little bit, Hajime remembered. At least he could change the subject before someone said something  _ really _ stupid.

“Ah, that’s right.” Hajime quickly said, glancing at the clock. “Chiaki had some previously organised plans with some of our friends, so she’ll be heading out in a little bit.” Chiaki bowed a little, awkwardly.

“I-I’m sorry about this, I didn’t mean to get surrounded like this.” She visibly cringed at her vocaubilary, but Hajime’s parents didn’t react.

“Well, that is a shame.” His father said, humming something to himself. “There was something I wished to discuss with the two of you, but no matter.” Hajime frowned.

“What is it, Dad?” His father just did not elaborate, continuing to eat his dinner. Hajime didn’t push the matter further; once his father hardened up, there was no breaking through. Thankfully, it was his mother who spoke next.

“Have you taken up any new hobbies recently, Hajime?” His mother asked casually, Hajime frowning as he saw her eyes drfit towards the ‘wall’o’games’. Well, he wasn’t going to lie to them.

“Well, work keeps me busy, and it’s pretty tiring, so normally after dinner I just unwind and play some games with Chiaki, or maybe a movie or something.” He could see the displeasure twitch beneath his mother’s face and he felt an odd sense of satisfaction at that.

“I-It’s really fun playing together, you see!” Chiaki blurted out. A blush crept over her face, but she stuck to her point. “I-I mean, we’re both so busy with our work, s-so it’s really lovely to just cuddle and play together in the evening.” Her tone was growing more passionate, and Hajime briefly thought about stopping her, but he hesitated. This was who Chiaki was, and he wasn’t going to hide her passion or how she felt about him. His mother frowned at her a little.

“But doesn’t it get a little old? I mean, there are so many things you could be doing instead of video games?” Hajime sighed at his mother’s words.

“Really though, Mom.” Hajime said. “What’s the difference between you and Dad watching TV after he gets home from work?” His father swallowed what was in his mouth and fixed his son with a hard stare.

“Don’t speak to your mother that way, Hajime.” His father told him, Hajime frowning as the frustartion swelled within him.They’d always pulled that card out whenever he’d expressed and kind of dissent or displeasure. It was one thing when he was a child, but now when he’s an adult…

Chiaki saw the look on his face, and she quickly got the others attention.

“U-Um, if it’s okay with you two, I-I have to head off now!” She blurted out, slowly rising to her feet. “I don’t want to keep the others waiting too long.” Hajime glanced over at her, nodding.

“You had a time booked in for karaoke, right?” Hajime asked her, his partner nodding in response. He thought he heard his father mutter ‘karaoke’ under his breath, but it seemed like Chiaki hadn’t heard, so he let it slide.

“I hope you enjoyed out home!” Chiaki said, bowing a little to Hajime’s parents. They vaguely nodded to her, a total lack of politeness and respect just emanating from them. Chiaki still said nothing, and Hajime held his tongue. This had to be a good night. Turning away from his parents, she lent down towards Hajime. “I’ll see you when I get home, then.” Chiaki told him, kissing him on the cheek as she went. She gave another little bow to Hajime’s parents, smiling as hard as she could to try and get on their good side. And with another little wave, she was out the door, leaving Hajime alone with his parents. There was a few minutes of awkward silence between the three of them, but eventually, it was his mother who spoke up.

“How are things going between the two of you?” His mother asked. Hajime cocked his head, confused. They’d asked that before, before Chiaki had left. What was she aiming for? “Really?” She added, and Hajime understood, a rotten feeling forming in his stomach.

“We’re fine, like I said.” Hajime told them, again. He wasn’t going to mess up. He wasn’t going to let them get their way.

“Oh, no, of course we understand that. I mean in a more general sense. How has your financial situation been? Are your needs being met?” He peppered him with more and more questions

“What is this about, Dad?” Hajime finally asked, fed up with the questions. He was leading somewhere with all this, and he didn’t like where it was going so far.

“There’s a position in my friend’s company opening up soon.” His father told him, holding Hajime with a serious stare. “Leading the HR department. You’d be perfect for the role, and you’d earn well and have fantastic job security.” Hajime gripped the edge of the table. They didn’t understand at all.

“I love my job.” He said shortly.

“And we understand that, dear, but you’re so far away. It takes so long for us to visit you, and I’ve been missing you so often the last few years.” His mother said, and Hajime felt that rotten feeling spread further. “If you lived closer, we could have dinner more often, spend just that little more time together. And the job your father is talking about pays well enough you’d be able to afford just about any apartment.” They both knew what moving back near home meant.

“What about Chiaki?” Hajime said quietly. His parents exchanged glances, and his stomach dropped further. Why did he need to ask?

“Well, I suppose she could come with you.” His mother said casually.   
  
“You know that’s not an option.” Hajime retorted. “Her work is her life, making games is one of the most important things to her, and you know that.” He could feel his temper flaring, but he had to stay cool. Burning bridges with his family would help no one, though Fuyuhiko’s words echoed in his mind. “Chaning development studios isn’t an option, either. Where she works is more or less her dream job. I won’t cut her away from that.”

“Well.” His father murmured, adjusting his glasses absent-mindedly. “If she came with you back home, she could get a real job, actually help provide for the two of you.” Okay, that was too far. Hajime grit his teeth and tried to restrain his anger.

It didn’t work.

“Why do you talk about her like that!?” Hajime shouted, fed up. “Even when we started dating in school, even when she found work long before me, you’ve treated her like she was an invalid, like she contributed nothing to the household. Well, Mom, well, Dad, guess what!? She’d the one who kept us supported whilst I studied, she was the one who kept me going when I felt I was going nowhere. Who knows where I would’ve ended up if she hadn’t saved me!”

“Hajime, you need to calm down.” His father said quietly, but Hajime wasn’t in the mood. All this time he’d just ignored what they’d said, but he wasn’t taking it anymore, especially if Chiaki wasn’t here to defend herself.

“Eight years we’ve been together, and you’ve never once given two shits how we’ve been doing! It’s always been about pushing us apart, questioning everything! Is this what you were planning on ‘talking to us’ about!?” Hajime grit his teeth, fingernails digging into the table. Today was meant to be different, to really show how far Hajime and Chiaki had gone in their lives, and here his parents were, undermining everything.

“No. There was something else I wished to speak to your partner about. We’re simply concerned about your future, son.” His father said, trying to put on that ‘fatherly-tone’, which was clearly a load of crap. He didn’t say anything about Hajime’s outburst, but it was clear his patience was wearing thin. “I’m just not sure if the salaries of a school counciller and someone who spends the days playing video games is enough to sustain yourselves.” Hajime was ready to retort, but his mother cut in.

“Does she see a future between you two, anyway?” She said quietly, and Hajime stopped. “I mean, she left our dinner to go hang out with her friends. What does that say in regards to her commitment?” His feelings towards Chiaki was obvious, as she’d made clear to his family for years. He loved her with all his heart, and he  _ did _ see a future together with Chiaki. The time never seemed right, but he knew, eventually, he’d ask her to marry him. She felt the same, right? Right?”

“You don’t get to barely speak to us for seven years and then get to question how we feel about each other!” Hajime shouted, on his feet now. “So just tell me, damn it! Why don’t you like her? She’s nice, she’s smart, she’s worked her ass off tonight to try and impress you, and you come in and question everything about our relationship! So what is it!?” A long, long moment of silence fell between them, before his mother finally answered.

“We’ve always felt you could go far, Hajime. No matter what, we’ve had high expectations for our child. We just feel, well, being and living with someone like Chiaki is holding you back from your true potential.” Hajime just stared at them, his mouth slightly open. He knew they didn’t approve of Chiaki’s hobbies and profession and general demanour. That was one thing. But to say it like that, to frame it as if it was his own fault for entering a relationship with Chiaki, that it was his and her fault they were treating him this way. His father started to speak again, and Hajime looked up in a haze.

“Your mother and I worked hard to raise you, Hajime. We worked hard to get you into Hope’s Peak, and it for sure as hell wasn’t for you to waste away in some second-class school, stopping children from picking on one another. You worked too hard to spend your free time sitting around playing childrens games with a girl in a dead-end-”   
  
“ENOUGH!” Hajime’s chest couldn’t take anymore. His parents both stopped “I think dinner’s done.” He quietly added, staring at his empty plate.

“But Hajime-” His mother started.

“We’re done. You should probably head for the station, so you don’t get stuck in Kyoto.” He said shortly, and almost wordlessly, his parents got to their feet, gathering their things. Like in a dream, Hajime stood by the door, watching silently as they prepeared to leave. He felt so angry, so, so angry, yet strangely calm. This was a feeling that hadn’t hit him in nearly eight years. Not since Hope’s Peak. Opening the door, his mother murmured a goodbye and stepped through, his father pausing for a moment to look at his son.

“Think about my offer, son.” He said shortly. “I’m simply thinking of you. You could do… so much more with your talents. Better then was Chiaki can.” And then he was gone.The door closed, Hajime turned around, leaning aginst as he slowly slid down until he was on the floor. The hurt and anger in his parents eyes, something he’d never really seen before, had really hit him hard. He knew they were we wrong, that he was in the right. But deep inside him, those anxities long forgotten and tamed began to burn within him, and without warning, he felt himself gag. His breathing became heavier, and slowly, Hajime tucked his head into his legs, panic flaring throughout his brain.

_ Not again,  _ he thought.  _ Not again. Not again. You didn’t do anything wrong, nothing, nothing at all, just… calm down. _

The calm didn’t come for many hours.

* * *

“I bet this beats meeting the parents, right?” Peko asked as they entered the restraunt. Chiaki nodded absent-mindedly. Peko, Chiaki and Mikan had gotten together for their monthly karoke sessions, which was always kind of a mess. As expected, Chiaki sung a ton of vocal tracks from video games (with perfect pitch and tone, implying a  _ lot _ of private singing at her home, usually with Hajime joining), whilst Peko would open up and really get into some ‘hip’ pop music. Most surprising was Mikan, who usually remained quiet until she’d had a few drinks, when she’d sing a huge string of rock music, usually broken up by a fit of infectious giggling that would occasionally ground the session to a halt. Considering the different levels of stress the three women had in their lines of work, these nights out were pretty treasured, and they spend long into the night laughing and gossiping about who knows what.

Chiaki needed it tonight, With how badly she felt dinner had gone, with how insane she’d sounded, she needed to be able to go out with her best friends and just have a good time singing some great video game songs.

“I reeeeeallly liked that third song you sung, ‘Chaki…” Mikan laughed. She wasn’t exactly drunk or anything, but even a few drinks helped with her perpetual anxities and made her a little more… needy, rather then anything. At this point, she was pretty much fused at the arm to Peko. T

“As did I, though I didn’t really grasp what language it was…” Peko added as she returned from ordering drinks, rubbing her fiance on the back. 

“Latin, I suppose.” Chiaki said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Considering how many times she’d played Final Fantasy VII, how could she  _ not _ sing that treasured classic? Peko and Mikan didn’t question her on her answer, since comments like that were just second nature to them at this point. A few moments later, their drinks arrived. Chiaki really wasn’t much of a drinker, but her get-togethers with friends were the exception to that. She just wanted to have fun, and having a few drinks and being a little silly (safely) was a part of that. Though, today there was a few more drinks, as the restaurant was a chance to celebrate Peko and Mikan’s engagement with just them. Either way, Hajime said when she was drunk she kept challenging people to matches in fighting games, which both of them found hysterical. ‘Just my unique debuff’, she’d started to call it. “I can’t believe you guys are really getting married.” Chiaki said after a bit, leaning on one arm. 

“Honestly, Mikan.” Peko said, frowning at her drink. “I’m not much of a marriage person. If I didn’t know how much it meant to you, I probably would’ve just kept things the way they were.” Mikan looked half-horrified, before Peko quickly calmed her down. “I-I worded that wrong!” She quickly added, patting her hand. “I’m very happy you asked me to marry you.”

“I-I know.” Mikan murmured, reaching out to grasp Peko’s hand. “It still gets a bit scary, y’know? I woke up this morning, a-and you’d already gotten up to work, and I briefly thought us being together was some wonderful dream, and that i was still alone, and, and-” That was the other thing drinks did to Mikan. She could be incredibly extroverted, and on the turn of a dime, turn into even more of an emotional mess then she usually did. Peko leaned over and warped an arm around her fiance, gently rubbing her shoulder.

“Don’t be silly, Mikan, you know I”m right here…” She murmured, and Chiaki couldn’t help but giggle at their exchange. They were just so, well, adorable like this, filled with an energy and just ‘aura’ that Chiaki could never have hoped to experienced… yet, at least.

“W-What is it, Chiaki…?” Mikan said, a cheeky grin on her face. “J-Jealous?” She added, holding Peko a little closer. The other two just laughed at Mikan’s rapidly ossiclating moods.

“I dunno, really.” Chiaki said after her laughs subsided. “It’s like… you two have gotten buffed by getting engaged. You have a...new energy around you.” She took a sip of her drink, looking a little sad. “Maybe I am jealous.”

“Chiaki, my friend.” Peko said, taking another sip, Chiaki suppressing another giggle at how buddy-buddy Peko was getting after a few drinks. “Buddy. Pal. Comrade.” Okay, she couldn’t hide a giggle at that one - Mikan, on the other hand, looked like she about to faint from holding it in. “You, of all people, shouldn’t be jealous of me and Mikan’s…” She gestured vaguely with her hands, as if it helped (it didn’t). “...passionate, loving aura.” Mikan practically made heart eyes at her fiance, and Chiaki was having a great time hearing Peko’s somewhat slurred speech. “You and Hajime’s relationship is the standard all should be held to. You guys are…” She spent a long time waiting, as if she was looking for the perfect word. “Cute.”

“It’s not the same, really. Honestly, with everything going on, I dunno if it’ll ever be like that.” Chiaki mumbled, the cheeriness draining from her chest as she thought about a few hours ago. Mikan frowned in response.

“Y-You mean, Hajime’s parents.” Chiaki nodded in response. It was that obvious, huh?

“Yeah. I can’t just keep hitting retreat when I have to deal with them. I just can’t.” Peko nodded, but still looked concerned.

“From what Fuyuhiko told me, they seem like real assholes.” She said plainly. “Hajime will have your back when it comes to them, so you shouldn’t have to deal with them that much.” To Peko’s visible surprise, however, when Chiaki looked at her next, she saw a fire in her eyes that was totally unlike her.

“I’m going to see them again, though.” Chiaki said, quietly. “You can’t avoid the big boss forever, and considering what strategy I have planned, it’s better sooner then later.” Visibly confused, Peko and Mikan exchanged looks before looking back at Chiaki. 

“W-What do you have planned, t-then, Chiaki?” Mikan asked, leaning a little closer, yearning for answer. A giddy smile came to Chiaki, and she began to listlessly play with the draw strings on her hoodie, before she finally answered, her cheeks pink.

“I’m going to ask Hajime to marry me. No matter what his… asshole parents say.” She said quietly, bracing herself as Mikan and Peko let out noises of joy and excitement (that varied a lot in noise), ignoring the stares of other patrons as they began to pepper Chiaki with questions about her plans. Even though the fear of interacting with Hajime’s parents terrified her, the support and sheer adulation other friends strengthened her resolve. That, and the memory of seeing Mikan and Peko tonight and last night, basking in each other’s love. 

New Year’s couldn’t come sooner, couldn’t it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Chiaki didn’t get back into the apartment until near one. She felt nothing short of exhausted, especially after being out late two nights in a row, but she’d had fun, still giddy from both spending time with her friends, and her admittance of her plans to propose to Hajime. She didn’t think twice after seeing the lights still on; both of them frequently left them on when the other was getting home late. Chiaki would’ve just gone straight to bed, if she hadn’t glanced into their TV-space and saw the TV still on, with some action movie still playing. Chiaki frowned. That wasn’t like Hajime. If she hadn’t gone around the couch to switch the TV off, she wouldn’t have noticed Hajime curled up on the couch, staring blankly at it. He glanced up at her,brief surprise falling over his features.

“Oh. W-Welcome home, Chiaki.” He said weakly, and then she knew something was wrong. He had some ailment, physical or mental and she knew he needed her.

“Hey hey.” She murmured quietly, sitting down beside him, running a finger through his hair. He was cold, so cold. “How’s the night been?” He looked up at her again, and her heart hurt from the pain in them. It was  _ really  _ bad, this time. They’d never gone through anything as bad since just before they’d started dating, but he’d had a few periods where his fears and anxieties overrode his brain, like when he was finishing university, or just starting at work. She could see in his eyes that this was worse than any of those times. Something had happened after she’d left.

“Just fine.” He muttered, sitting up properly. He looked so tired, Chiaki noted. He hadn’t slept properly the night before either, had he, with his parents. “Was seeing the girls nice?” He asked her, looking away.

“Yeah.” Chiaki told him, rubbing his back. “It was pretty silly overall, but I managed to get Peko to belt out some Nier music, so it was worth it.” She giggled a little, and Hajime gave her the closest thing to a smile - which was just a lack of a frown more than a smile. 

“That’s good.” He murmured. For a little bit, they sat there and watched the end of Hajime’s movie. Chiaki’s head was in turmoil - she didn’t know what to say in this situation. She just had to be there for him, as much as she could.

“I think I’ll head to bed, actually.” Hajime said quietly, and Chiaki nodded. “Should’ve gone to bed earlier, honestly. Just kind of… spaced out on the couch.”

“Don’t worry, we all lose track of time!” Chiaki tried to comfort, but it just came out sounding kind of stupid. Hajime just sort of shrugged, getting up from the couch, moving into their bedroom. Chiaki followed quickly enough. They got changed into their bedclothes in silence, a far cry from the previous night. Chiaki crawled in after Hajime, gently wrapping an arm around him, his face barely visible in the darkness. Chiaki could feel the anxiety and worry radiating of him, and she wondered if he could hear her heart thumping from worry. She placed her head against his, ruffling the back of his hair tenderly. He knew she’d be here, always.

“Goodnight, Hajime.” She smiled, and she thanked Kirby that Hajime finally cracked her a smile. If she could be a tiny oasis in the desert of his mind, that was enough, for now. 

“Good night, Chiaki. I love you.” He lent forward, giving her a little kiss before settling into sleep. Hajime was asleep pretty quickly,, as if she’d had Sleep cast on him, but he didn’t face her tonight. That was okay, Chiaki decided. They both had nights where they weren’t happy, and weren’t cuddly. Despite her fatigue, she watched his back for sometime in the near complete darkness. Something happened after she left, that was obvious, but she wasn’t going to force him to tell her. Hajime had moments like this, and his anxiety and such was something he struggled with for years and years. He’d come around.

She knew this even more, moments before she passed out from exhaustion,when he turned over and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as if the world would end if he ever let go.

He’d be okay.

* * *

Work was a little hard for Chiaki that day, considering how worried she was about Hajime the whole time. They were near the end of the development cycle, so she could switch her brain off and just record any bugs she stumbled upon. Hurrying home, she got into the apartment about fifteen minutes before Hajime returned from work. He gave her a smile, but it was clear his head wasn’t in it still. They had dinner (which was left over curry from the previous night) in relative silence, mostly Hajime asking how work was going, Chiaki chatting about the bugs they were currently tackling at work. She was about to ask if he wanted a quiet night tonight, but it was Hajime who asked if they could have their normal routine. Chiaki couldn’t say no to that, especially with how much she was itching to play a game that  _ wasn’t _ related to work, and so with dinner cleared away, they settled in on the couch for their usual nightly ritual.

Hajime was working through some paperwork, watching Chiaki on her third run of Super Mario Odyssey. She was in the middle of a playthrough already, but she felt playing something wacky and fun to try and perk up his mood a little bit. At the very least, he seemed to enjoy watching her. Once he finished his work, he sort of melted against her, resting his head on her chest, watching her play in silence for a good half an hour. Chiaki was worried about him, but she couldn’t deny that this was a comfy evening. 

“They’re… trying to get me to break up with you, and move back home.” Hajime murmured, ever so quietly. It was so sudden, and so gentle, that Chiaki almost didn’t hear him. Quickly, she tapped a few buttons, putting the Switch to sleep, and the charming sounds of Mario ceased.

“What?” Chiaki asked, turning to face her partner. “Hajime, what did you say?” He slowly looked up at her, and Hajime looked to be on the verge of tears.

“After you left last night. The ‘thing’ Dad wanted to talk to us about. It was this whole spiel about how you’re not good enough for me, that I should take a job back home, and leave you behind.” Chiaki’s stomach dropped  _ hard _ . She knew something had happened after she’d left, but not something like this. She reached out and grasped his hands, their fingers intertwining. 

“Why did they even bring this up now?” Chiaki asked softly. “We’ve been together for eight years, and we know they haven’t been my biggest party member the whole time. Why now?”

“Who fucking even knows? I try, and try, and I try!” He half shouted, and Chiaki just gripped his hands harder. He needed this, and she wasn’t going to deny him his anger. Sometimes it was better to not say anything “Eight years we’ve been together, and they’ve never liked it. I’ve tried so hard to get my parents to like you, and all that effort just leads to them to just…” He threw a hand in front of himself to underline his frustration.

“It’s not fair for them to challenge you like this.” Chiaki murmured, stroking his cheek. “Especially when I’m not there.” She added, her own frustration growing. She could’ve - would’ve - defended herself.

“I don’t want to choose between you and them.” Hajime sobbed, shuddering ever so slightly. “I really don’t, but I can’t keep going on like this. They don’t like you, they don’t like my home, they don’t like the girl I love so much, and I just can’t deal with it. Not anymore.” No longer holding his composure, Hajime lent down, lying his head down in Chiaki’s lap, shaking ever so slightly. The two stayed like that for a long while, Chiaki just stroking his hair in her lap for a long while, the only curative he needed right now, as far as Chiaki knew.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you last night.” Hajime whispered, hand lightly stroking her leg. “I just got locked into my own head, and I just…” Chiaki shook her head, stroking his cheek to comfort him.

“No, don’t be silly, Hajime. We all have monsters to battle,and we can’t always ask for help when we want to.” He gave her a little nod, and turned back away. Chiaki felt her own anger burning in her chest. How could his own parents treat him this way? Being so terrible to her was one thing, she vaguely understood why. But to their own son, in such a cruel and manipulative way? 

She had to do something. It shamed her that she couldn’t, even after eight years, do more to help Hajime’s fragile emotional state, but she couldn’t wallow in self pity when  _ he _ needed her. She needed to do… something.

“Hey. Hey, Chiaki.” Hajime said suddenly, startling her as he sat up. His expression had changed, to one she didn’t really recognise. That was… worrying.

“Y-Yeah, Hajime?”   
  
“No matter what, I love you. Just… with everything that’s happened with my parents, everything with what they want from me, I’m not… going to go anywhere.” He was shuddering again, and Chiaki wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

“Oh, Hajime…” She murmured, resting her head against his.

“I’m staying with you.” He continued, tears leaking from his eyelids.”I’ve built up so much of a life, I’ve worked so hard, and I just… I love you too much to throw that all away. Chiaki…” He looked at her in the eyes, and her heart broke all over again. “I don’t know what to do.”

_ “Looks like this is my monster to slay.” _ Chiaki decided, rubbing Hajime’s back as he sobbed into her shoulder. Neither of them could really go on like this.  _ “I’ll fix this, Hajime. _ ” She thought to herself, holding him tightly.  _ “I promise.” _

* * *

“Hey hey.” Chiaki said, waving into the webcam. Sonia beamed at her through the screen, dressed in what looked like normal pajamas, but were probably more expensive than anything Chiaki owned. Ever since their days at Hope’s Peak, Chiaki and Sonia had only gotten together once, a few years ago when they got together to celebrate Hajime’s new job. It was such a silly reason for the queen of a country to sneak out of her nation, but it was clear Sonia just needed a reason for her and Gundham to visit. It was weird to think of Sonia as queen - her mother had abdicated, favouring her daughter and son-in-laws more modern take on ruling. But yet, here they were, still just having a conversation over the internet, as they always did at least once a week. It felt a little sad, but Chiaki frequently went to Sonia for romantic advice, and today was in that similar boat. It was a few days since Hajime had revealed the scope of his anxiety to his partner, and it was her day-off. She knew she had to help Hajime with his parental issues, for the sake of both their parent-son relationship, and the stability of her’s with Hajime. Sonia was the only one she really trusted with the full scope of the situation.

“Greetings, bestie!” Sonia grinned, Chiaki withholding a snicker. She’d been queen for years, and yet she’d never changed the way she talked. “How have things been recently?” Chiaki sighed, not sure where to begin. Sonia noticed. “Chiaki?” Chikai gave her a smile, and began to explain everything. Peko and Mikan’s engagement, the visit from Hajime’s parents, his anxiety flare-ups, and her plans for the future. Sonia didn’t say anything whilst she explained her situation, just watching seriously. When Chiaki finished her story, Sonia lent forward, a little too close to the camera.

“I’m… not quite sure which of these topics to react to first.” Sonia said slowly, frowning. And then she broke out into the biggest, silliest smile Chiaki had ever seen. “I can’t believe you’re going to ask Hajime to wed you!” And then Chiaki was smiling again, gently hugging herself.

“I realised how comfortable I was with how things have been the last few years, but seeing Peko and Mikan, and even you and Gundham… I want to level up with Hajime, and really, really commit to an adventure with him.” Sonia, leaning on one hand, sighed, smiling broadly.

“You remind me of when Gundham proposed to me. He was so cute and charming, but he did it in the silliest, over-the-top way that was such a ‘him’ away of doing it. All those animals…” Sonia sighed again, and shook her head to focus herself. “But in any case, you came to me for advice, and advice is what I shall provide. 

“I’m, well, not really good at talking to people, as you know, and I don’t really think there’s anyone I’m worse at facing then Hajime’s parents.” Chiaki murmured, resting her head on her hands. Even the idea of talking with them about this made her vaguely want to throw up.

“I understand interaction like this can be challenging.” Sonia nodded, and then, causing Chiaki to jump, slammed her hand on her desk. “Despite that, you must face these foes on the field of battle!” She half shouted. “Visit their home, and make your case!” 

“But I barely know what to even say to them. I crash and burn on dating sims, and those are glorified talking simulators to start with!”

“Judging by what you’ve explained to me, I feel Hajime’s foolish parents have far too high expectations for Hajime, and see you beneath those expectations, along with the idea that you are too timid and too much of a slacker for them to approve of.” Chiaki nodded from Sonia’s assessment. “Plus, your interests and employment don’t create, to them, a trustworthy reputation.” Chiaki frowned, despite how nothing Sonia said was incorrect.

“Do you think it’s my interests that are threatening our relationship? Do you think I should…” She didn’t really mean it, giving up her love of video games, but Sonia slammed her hands on her table once again.

“Sod that!” She declared, crossing her arms defiantly. “You, my dear Chiaki, are one of the most fascinating and hype people I have ever encountered! If Hajime’s parents don’t want that in a daughter in law, then I say  _ sod that _ !” Chiaki couldn’t help it - she just burst out laughing. Sonia’s forwardness, coupled with her unique brand support for her best friend was just too much to not laugh. “Why do you laugh, Chiaki?” Sonia frowned, her smile peeking in the corners of her mouth.

“It’s nothing, nothing at all.” Chiaki said, trying to hold in her giggles. “Your choice of language just always…” She couldn’t hold it, and she burst out laughing once again. Sonia’s frowned turned to a big smile, glad some of her best friend’s stress had lessened briefly.

“My point is.” Sonia continued, once Chiaki calmed down. “You have to frame what you do, and what you love, in a way that they’ll understand. If what you’ve told me in the past is true, they’ve barely listened to a word you’ve said about your passions. If you speak from the heart, in  _ their  _ home, I’m sure they’ll understand and accept the relationship, and cease this asinine campaign against you.” Sonia crossed her arms, satisfied with her plan.

“And if they don’t?” Chiaki said, almost hesitantly. Sonia’s smile disappeared.

“Then you tell them you’re going to marry Hajime, whether they grant you the boon of permission or not, and you move on from there.” Chiaki felt a spike of panic flare through herself. That… was a pretty big decleration to make if you  _ don’t _ have crippling anxiety.

“B-But if I cut down that bridge, what would that mean for Hajime?” Chiaki asked, Sonia giving her a sad smile.

“If what you told me Hajime said is true, he’d be happier with you then having to deal with parents who wanted to tear you two apart. I don’t think Hajime could tackle his parents over this, so I think you’ll have to do it.” Her smile became a little more gentle. “We all know how much you two love each other, so I don’t think it’ll come to that.” Chiaki slowly nodded.

_ “Looks like I really will have to face them… _ ” Chiaki thought to herself. The two young women chatted for a little longer, until Chiaki thanked Sonia for all her help and logged off, promising to keep her informed of the situation.

Hajime wasn’t going to be home for another hour or so, pretty much the prime time for Chiaki to make the call. She was still scared of actually interacting with Hajime’s parents, but seeing how much all this was playing on Hajime’s mind forced her hand. She had to do something, and this was all she and Sonia could think of. Slowly, she brought out her phone, staying her shaking hand for a moment, and then quickly dialed Hajime’s home number, which she’d used to call Hajime over holidays in the past. It rang for a few seconds, and then someone picked up.

_ “Hinata residence.”  _ A woman’s voice came through, and Chiaki got that twinge of anxiety at it’s sound. It was Hajime’s mother. “ _ Who is calling?” _ She added, awaiting a reply.

“T-This is Chiaki Nanami. H-Hajime’s partner.” Chiaki said, trying her best not to sound afraid or stupid. There was a long moment of silence across the phone, almost to the point Chiaki began to consider she’d been hung up on.

“...Miss Nanami.” His mother’s voice finally answered. “What are you calling about? Is everything well with Hajime?” Chiaki ignored the fact she hadn’t asked how  _ she _ was and moved on.

“N-No, everything is fine with Hajime.” Chiaki told her. “I was calling about something I wish to discuss with you and your husband. I, um, wanted to visit your home to speak to you about this.” There was more silence.

  
“Surely you can tell me over the phone? I can’t expect you to travel all the way here just to speak to us.” It would be so simple for her to take the easy way out, but she had to stick to her plan. For Hajime, and for her. 

“No, I’d much prefer to speak to the two of you in person. And besides, the two of you came all that away to visit us in our home, and were so… kind.” She let the last word sit, not with any kind of negative tone, but she’d know what she meant.

“...Very well.” Hajime’s mother finally said, and they spent the next sixty seconds working out when Chiaki could visit. The next weekend was the suggestion she gave her, and Chiaki instantly agreed before his mother could think of an excuse to postpone the meeting.

“I’ll be sure to fast travel to not be late.” Oh,  _ shit. _ Well, she almost go through a conversation without sounding like an idiot, and that was good enough for her. They exchanged forced pleasantries, and Chiaki hung up, flopping into the couch from the exhaustion of doing such a basic interaction, but it felt good. She’d been granted a new buff, doing something that utterly terrified her; it felt amazing, and helped her not think about having to actually go to see Hajime’s parents. The sound of the door opening signaled Hajime’s return, and Chiaki rose to greet her partner. This was the other buff she needed to face her personal Dark Lord - seeing his smile, genuine joy from him, was what she needed to try and fix all this. She had to.

She had to.

* * *

_ “I’m going to go see them on the weekend. _ ” Chiaki tapped in whilst she lay in bed waiting for Hajime. She’d almost forgotten to tell Sonia that she’d made plans to meet Hajime’s parents, and Sonia replied mere moments later. She had gotten far better at texting over the years, but her texts were always full of weird emoticons.

_ “Time to kick names and take ass!” _ The reply came through, before being rapidly deleted and replaced with the same message, except with ‘names’ and ‘ass’ swapped. Chiaki held a giggle, Hajime rolling over to face her, a curious look on his face.

“What is it, Chiaki?” Hajime asked her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull himself closer to her as he clambered into bed. Chiaki made a sing-song noise, probably from some game, before turning off her phone’s screen.

“It’s a secret you haven’t unlocked yet.” She told him, putting the phone aside before rolling to face him. Hajime sighed, shaking his head.

“You and your secrets. You’re planning something, with someone, aren’t you?” That little smile came back on his face, and Chiaki felt her heart melt a little. Even seeing he was just a tiny bit better… that was enough for her, at least at the moment.

“Maybe. You’ll see soon enough.” She murmured. “Just don’t worry about it, Hajime.” She lent forward a little and kissed him again, and Chiaki felt warmth spread through her body as he held her tightly. 

“Well, all right.” He grinned at her, and Chiaki felther heart beat fast. Gods, after all these years, that smile still made her feel like she could do anything. In a few days, she was going to be facing down the biggest opponent she’d ever faced. With that smile in her mind… she actually felt she could do it.

Because to see him happy, and healthy - that’s all Chiaki needed. That’s all she ever needed, these days.


	4. Chapter 4

The trip to Hinata’s hometown was a long one, requiring her to take the shinkansen to Tokyo, and then board a train from there. And whilst it gave her plenty of time to space out playing a Musou game, it also gave her far too much time to think about what she was going to do. What  _ was _ she going to do, actually? It had sounded like a good idea in her head, and Sonia made it sound even better. But now that she was actually on the way, she felt like a lunatic. But she had to fight this boss battle, regardless of how scared she was.She’d tried to dress the part of the cute potential daughter-in-law, but she also didn’t really know what that looked like, so dressed in a dark blue dress (and actually brushing her hair for the first time in ages), she hoped that would help her case even a little. She  _ did _ have the urge to wear one of her gamer t-shirts to underline the kind of person she was despite their complaints, but that might’ve been too much.

Before long, her last train pulled into its destination, and Chiaki was walking towards Hajime’s childhood home. She’d visited here, once, back when they'd gone to tell his parents they were moving in together in Kyoto. Now  _ that _ had been a frosty visit. Hopefully today will go better.

Somehow, she doubted it.

She stood in front of Hajime’s home for a good ten minutes, delaying the inevitable. She wish she could save her life like saving her game, right now. One way or another, today’s little conversation was going to change a lot for her and Hajime’s endgame. So, no real pressure or anything. She stood around, just out of view of the windows, looking at her phone - and being the sap that she was, it took glancing at a few photos of her and Hajime together that gave her the power-up to move forward. So, shouldering her special pink bag, she strode up the little stone path and rapped her knuckles on the door. A little hard, she noted, her hand stinging. 

“Ah. Miss Nanami.” She said, her frown not at all hidden. Both of his parents had  _ always _ called her Miss Nanami, even when she and Hajime had asked them several times to just call her by her first name. Hajime had tried to convince himself that they were just old-fashioned like that, but it was obvious they just didn’t accept her. Just as simple as that. “Come in, I suppose.” She opened the door to let Chiaki in. Bowing a little (that was right, right?), she strode into the entrance hall, slipping off her shoes as she moved into her love’s childhood home. His mother led her into the living room, gesturing to the sofa. Chiaki only noticed after she sat down that Hajime’s father was already in the room, nose buried in the newspaper. “Dear, Hajime’s girlfriend has arrived.” The newspaper came down a little, his piercing eyes sizing her up.

“..Good afternoon.” And then it came back up, hiding his face. Mrs. Hinata shook her head. 

“Give him time to finish the paper. I’ll make some tea.” And with that, she strode into the kitchen to do just that, leaving Chiaki and her husband alone in the living room..

She sat in awkward silence, the only sound being the rustling of the newspaper, as Mrs. Hinata prepared the tea. She felt the urge, as she always did in quiet moments, to whip out her Switch, but now wasn’t the time for that. After a few more minutes, Mrs. Hinata emerged, bringing gher a cup of tea. “Enjoy, Miss Nanami.” She said rigidly. The tea Hajime’s mother gave her was a lot more bitter than she normally liked, even though Chiaki knew she knew she liked it sweet. Not that it was worth saying anything about.

“So, Miss Nanami.” Hajime's mother said coldly, putting her tea to the side as her husband set the newspaper down beside him.. “What did you come all this way to speak to us about?”

“That couldn’t be said over the phone, like a normal person.” Hajime’s father added, with an inflection that made Chiaki’s cheeks burn. She wasn’t going to let that ‘normal’ comment hit her. She wasn’t, she knew that, but still…

“I-I think it’s pretty obvious why I went on this gauntlet.” Chiaki murmured, barely loud enough for them to hear. “I-It’s about Hajime. About… how he feels about you.” Hajime’s father raised his eyebrows, leaning forward a little.

“Well, that’s awfully vague.” He grunted.

“Hajime spoke to me, a few days after you visited us.. He told me about your argument, about how you see our relationship. I thought it wasn’t that bad, but he was…” She gestured vaguely, not sure how to say how Hajime was dealing with what happened. “Hajime doesn’t know how to communicate with you two anymore. He wants to be close to you, but he wants you to accept our relationship as well. So, um, I wanted to come and speak to you about all this, to try and, um, negotiate? Something like that.” She’d said her piece, and she had opened a dialogue. Now it was their turn.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t what she hoped. Oh, Visual Novels. They never helped to plan with.

“I feel coming to our home in this manner is quite improper.”Hajime’s mother sighed, shaking her head. “We’ve been Hajime’s parents for nearly twenty-five years, we know he’ll come around despite these moods.” Chiaki felt the urge to scowl, holding onto her calmness. Which was, honestly, incredible due to how pissed off she was already. “Personally, I also feel Hajime shouldn't have spoken of our conversation to you, at least not yet.” Chiaki gripped the arm of the couch.

“You never tried to communicate what you wanted from Hajime to me, though.” She protested, frowning. “I’ve been with him for so many years, don’t I deserve to know even a little bit?”

“We were prepared to tell you, actually.” Mr. Hinata said, frowning at her. “At dinner. However, you felt it more important to spend time with your friends, rather than have dinner with your partner’s parents. Rather improper, our opinion.” Chiaki’s cheeks reddened a little, but she didn’t back down.

“My friends had just gotten engaged, and I was there to support them in such a wonderful alliance.” Chiaki grunted, crossing her arms. “Though if I was there, would you have really asked Hajime, there and then, to choose between you and I?” She presented the question there, plainly. She felt her hands shaking, ever so slightly. This is what scared her, really. Hajime’s parents exchanged glances. 

“We did not put in those exact terms, but I suppose you’re not wrong.” Hajime’s mother murmured softly. “We offered him a job worthy of his skills, and a steady home close to his family.”

“Even if it took him away from me?” Chiaki whispered, barely audible.

“Even so.” Mr. Hinata said, plainly. Chiaki grit her teeth, anger boiling in their veins.

“Honestly, I think it’s a case that Hajime will pick me as a route rather than you.” Chiaki said, hands gripping her dress, half terrified. “He told, a few nights ago. He cares about us, that much, that he’ll move on from you.” She crossed her arms. “That’s how much your tirade hurt him.” Her love’s parents exchanged glances - with no lack of concern, Chiaki noted with some satisfaction.

“I’m sure he wasn’t like that.” Mr Hinata said, taking a sip of his tea. “Our son is made of sterner stuff than that. At least, he never behaved that way before Hope’s Peak. That school…” He trailed off. On the hand, Hajime’s mother seemed more concerned about her son being that torn up. Chiaki, for the first time, felt that feeling of hope blossom in her head. She was getting somewhere.

“Actually, no, he was.” Chiaki said, pushing the point. “Ever since I met him, Hajime’s never had the highest mental strength stat.” It felt terrible, thinking of the anxiety had ravaged him. “The terror he felt at how you treated the two of us, if only you’d seen it…” Hajime’s father shrugged, as if to disregard her point entirely. “How could you truly ask him to leave me? Move on from Kyoto and take a position here?” Chiaki said quietly, looking down at the carpet.

“It was the obvious decision to ask him.” He said, crossing his arms passively. “I feel that position would make great use of Hajime’s interpersonal abilities.” Chiaki gripped at her skirt.

“Even if it would kill him, and me, for him to be exiled like that?” She could imagine it already - Hajime would want to try and continue a long-distance relationship, but it wouldn’t work. They just couldn’t. 

“He’d find a new girl to be with.” His father said, far too casually. Now that pissed her off. 

“We spent eight years, raising affection points with one another, just for you two to manipulate him to rip us up?” Chiaki said, louder than she was used to. “You think he’d just find someone else to replace me, something like that!?”

“...What?” Ms. Hinata said, obviously confused by her meaning. Chiaki didn’t stop to explain. She was too frustrated, too angry.

“We’ve been building a life together, y’know?” She continued, a hint of desperation in her voice. “Being together in school, finding that apartment, finding work - we weren’t just grinding-” She felt her cheeks redden as she realised  _ that _ terminology might not go over well. “U-Um, we weren’t just doing it for nothing. Hajime wouldn’t just throw that away for some job he’d hate. You arrogant and foolish if you think he’d just forget about me.” That particular description seemed to have hit Mr. Hinata pretty hard.

“Be careful, young woman.” He rumbled, anger flashing in his eyes. “You’re not in your home, remember. I shall not be spoken to of my own son in this manner, and I shall not be insulted like this!” Chiaki held her head up, locking eyes with him. She felt terrified, like nothing else she’d ever felt. But she wasn’t going to back down. Not this time. She could feel her MP, dropping, though.

“Dear, let her speak.” Mrs. Hinata said, looking between him and Chiaki, with some concern.

“You said it yourself.” Her husband said, ignoring her. “You’ve been in a relationship for eight years - a long time , even by young people’s standards. You’ve lived in the same apartment, the same jobs, and your aspirations are simply relaxing and playing inane video games together. Hell, the last time we visit, you go gallivanting off with your friends instead of spending time with us. So excuse me, Ms. Nanami, but it feels to me you have little interest - both of you - in a properlife together. 

Was that it!? Were they worried she didn’t have any further plans for the relationship, that spending the rest of their lives in that tiny apartment was the apex of her aspirations with him? Chiaki felt her blood boil a little bit. Did they really think that she wanted nothing, nothing at all beyond that? She’d been on this quest with Hajime for eight years, and she knew what her endgame was. 

“Well, actually, I’m going to ask Hajime to marry me on his birthday.” She said flatly, yet definitely. Now that silenced Hajime’s parents in a heartbeat. They stared at her, open-mouthed at this sudden admission, to the point Chiaki felt she had to add to that. “Some of my close friends and I are planning to have a special party for his birthday, and I’m going to propose to him there.” She felt the common urge to add something like ‘probably’ to the end of her sentences, but she held it in. There probably was no probably to this statement. It was his mother who spoke first.

“...You’re going to propose to our Hajime?” She said slowly, as if she didn’t believe it. “Truly?” Chiaki nodded, wordlessly. Her husband lent forward, frowning.

“This isn’t a ploy, correct?” He said rather quietly. Silently, Chiaki nodded, holding her breath in anticipation. 

His father sighed, putting his head in his hands. “All I ever wanted was to secure Hajime’s future. Good employment, a happy life, nothing more. Perhaps… I was hasty, in my judgment.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Hinata.” Chiaki murmured, eyes on the floor again. “You never gave me - or our relationship - a chance from the start. We’re not exciting people, and we know that, but we just wanted you to care about our relationship - not even for me, but for Hajime. He cares so much about what you think of us. He always had.” Hajime’s mother sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, before fixing her with another hard stare. 

“As we said, we don’t approve of your lifestyle.” She said, that spike of unworthiness ramming itself into Chiaki once more. “We feel your career path does not take advantage of both you and Hajime’s skills, and you could simply be doing more with your life.” Chiaki was about to retort, but then Hajime’s father spoke up.

“This is true. But, as you’ve said to me, and as Hajime told me last week, perhaps we are of a simply different breed.” His face became sad, just for a split-second, and then it was back to it’s impassive mask. “We and Hajime have never seen eye to eye, and I feel that’s created a disconnect. We don’t understand his ambitions, nor what he’s content with. But I’ve always strived to give him the life he deserved. Perhaps I was unaware he’d already found that in you.” He looked her in the eyes, and Chiaki felt her heart beating madly from the mix of emotions she was feeling. Did this… actually work? She almost was scared to believe it. Hajime’s mother nodded, agreeing with her husband.

“Whatever our reasons, we feel we haven’t treated the two of you well enough. We made far too many assumptions, far too many..”

“Did you truly just want me to commit to Hajime?” Chiaki said slowly, confused at how quickly they’d changed their tunes. Hajime’s mother shrugged, nodding a little.

“Seeing your home, and the ambitions of your professions, it just felt like you two were staying together because you were comfortable. It just felt like you’d never progress further in your relationship.”

“We are comfortable, and we are happy with what we want. My dream was always to make video games, and Hajime just wants to help those who can’t help themselves. And if that’s all our ‘little aspirations’ are, well, I think that’s a pretty good mission to clear.” Chiaki said defiantly.

“To me, I don’t agree.” Mr. Hinata murmured, stroking his chin. “But as I’ve already said, I don’t understand young people as well I hopeed. So who am I to disagree truly?”

“I-I suppose…” Chiaki still felt a little wary. They’d changed their minds so easily...

“When we were your age.” Mr. Hinata added, nodding. “I’d already achieved a high-ranking position in my company, with a steady income and a home. That’s how things were, back then, anyway.” Chiaki resisted the urge to tap her foot impatiently. She’d heard this kind of ‘old-person’ talk from her parents, but at least they weren’t rather obnoxious about it. “Hajime is a bright young man, and had high expectations. So seeing him there, in that rather small school, well.” He shrugged. “I wanted to push him to his best life.” Chiaki frowned.

“He’s already found it.” She said defiantly, and for the first time, both of her love’s parents smiled at her.

“Perhaps he has.” 

* * *

They talked for a little bit, the first bit of small talk she ever really had with his parents. It was… nice, honestly. They asked how Hajime’s work was really going, and asked a few vague things they knew about her own work. It still felt awkward as all hell, but the ice had been broken for the first time in the better part of a decade. Soon, however, Chiaki knew she’d overstayed her welcome, and stood up to leave. Hajime’s mother stood, too, now smiling a little.

“Miss Nanami…” She was quiet for a moment. “Chiaki.” She finally said, Chiaki’s heart soaring. “We may not agree on how you or Hajime live your life, but perhaps we’re simply too different. It’s clear that you and Hajime are truly happy with one another, and so…” A little smile appeared on Ms. Hinata’s face, Chiaki’s heartbeat pounding in her ears. “Chiaki, we’re very happy you’re going to propose to our son. Rather… you’ve opened our eyes to the fact that he could be with no one better/ And when that’s all we want… I think you’ll be just fine, together.”

“Thank you.” Chiaki said, bowing, her cheeks a little red. “I was, w-well, pretty rude, coming into your home and telling you how to be parents to Hajime.

“To a point, I agree.” Mr. Hinata said gruffly. “But perhaps such a confrontation is what we needed to wake up a little. Or a lot, rather.” A little smile formed on his rather hard features, and he suddenly felt far less threatening. She glanced out at the street, but Chiaki didn’t walk out yet. She had one last thing to say, not for her benefit. One last bonus mission.

“U-Um, may I s-say one more thing.” It was funny. Really. She was so nervous now, when before she’d declared her intention to marry Hajime, and there wasn’t a hint of fear. Her love’s parents looked at her, questioningly. “Hajime truly does love the two of you, and I t-think he really wants to be closer. Y-You said you struggled to understand him… but I think trying a little harder would raise your bond level a lot.”

“Indeed, Chiaki..” Hajime’s mother murmured, nodding thoughtfully. “Every time we’ve spoken to Hajime recently, it’s been out of a sense of obligation. Maybe after we’ve spoken to Hajime about all this… maybe it’ll be easier to bridge the gap.” Chiaki felt that warm feeling expand in her chest, just a little bit more. Though, she knew if she spent any more time in this house, she was going to have a bit of an exhaustion-fueled overload. Time to retreat.

“W-Well, see you around, then!” Chiaki said, smiling at her (hopefully) future in-laws. They waved her off, and then they were gone as Chiaki strode around the corner, and out of sight of them, humming some obscure tune to herself as she made her way back to the train station.

It had worked. She’d beaten her demons, accomplished her mission. She’d made Hajime’s parents actually accept her. Once she sat down onto her train seat, she’d almost melted, her heart pounding like she’d run a marathon. She’d actually done it. She noted that she didn’t really get a proper apology out of them, but all things considered, this was a pretty damn good silver medal.

The train rides home were far more calming than the way in. Free of her fears and anxieties, she could freely game away on her Switch without being distracted. Well, besides the elephant in the room. Her last major obstacle that prevented a smooth proposal to Hajime was gone, and now she didn’t really have any major reason to not seriously plan it. Sure, New Year’s Day was a long way away, but she had to at least start thinking about it.

God, she just couldn’t stop smiling, could she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

“Sorry, gotta take this.” Fuyuhiko frowned as he saw the stress cross Hajime’s face, but he didn’t comment on it. It was mid-afternoon, and he and Hajime had visited a little cafe, a small place that Fuyuhiko knew from his less-than-savoury connections. The two young men frequently met, at least once a week to catch up, but today there was an actual purpose. To no one’s surprise, Peko wanted Fuyuhiko to be a best-man kind of figure at her wedding, and the young yakuza had  _ zero _ idea how to behave in such a role. So, he invited Hajime out to try and group brainstorm some ideas on what the hell he was supposed to do. It had not been a productive afternoon, since it turned out Hajime also had no idea what the role entailed. Fuyuhiko was about to inform Hajime that he probably should learn how weddings really worked, because of  _ that reason _ , when his phone rang suddenly. 

Hajime talked quietly on the phone. His face alternating between a gentle smile and a worried frown far more frequently then one would expect. Fuyuhiko himself was frowning as he watched; Hajime Was on the phone for nearly ten minutes, before he muttered a goodbye and hung up. He stared blankly at his best friend, who tapped on the table impatiently.

“So…?” Fuyuhiko asked, curious about the details. 

“What the fuck did she do!?” Hajime gaped, looking as if a ghost had emerged out of nowhere. Fuyuhiko cocked his head, utterly lost.

  
“Hajime, what the hell are you talking about?” He grunted, looking a little annoyed.

“It’s Chiaki, she…” He put his face in his hands, groaning loudly. “It’s not bad, but she just…” He sat back up straight. “So, apparently she went and visited my parents.” Fuyuhiko frowned, not following exactly.

“I thought they hated her.” He said. “Because they’re, y’know, assholes.” He added, with a smirk. Hajime rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, they do. Except, I’ve just had a call saying they’ve had a long, ‘interesting’ talk with her. And, get this.” Hajime frowned, leaning in towards his best friend. “They’re suddenly a  _ lot _ more supportive of my life choices.” Fuyuhiko still looked utterly lost, not really sure why he was so out of sorts.

“So, isn’t that a good thing?” Fuyuhiko asked, finishing his food. “Your parents love her, you guys get to be together, you get to go ahead with your plan, everyone wins!” Hajine just shrugged in response. “Or not…?”

“It’s not the outcome that I’m concerned about.” Hajime sighed, rubbing his forehead. “It’s the fact she went at all. My parents are, well, assholes, as you said.” Fuyuhiko narrowed his eyes, still confused.

“But you said it went fine.”

“You don’t know them, my parents, like I do.” Hajime said, stress on his mind. “If they were in the smallest bit of a bad mood, they probably would’ve thrown her out of the house, probably called me up and disowned me. Or worse.” He added, glumly. Fuyuhiko narrowed his eyes again, taping his fork on the plate.

“What’s worse than that?” He asked him.

“No idea!” Hajime declared. “With them, you just never know.” Fuyuhiko rubbed the bridge of his nose, not following at all. He supported his buddy, but when he really went off about his parents, he went a liiiitle out of control.

“You knew something like this was going to happen, man.” Fuyuhiko sighed, lazily brandishing a fork at Hajime. “You’ve been with her for eight years, and you’re going to ask to fucking marry her next year. Something was going to break out between you and those fuckers. You knew that.” Hajime reluctantly nodded.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t meant to be Chiaki doing it.” Hajime said, finally resting his hands back on the table. “Listen, I better get home, I gotta…” He sighed heavily, running a hair through his hair. “I gotta talk to her about this, work out what’s going on.” Fuyuhiko nodded readily, and after some quick goodbyes, his best friend disappeared out of the shop door. Yawning, Fuyuhiko relaxed back into his chair.

_ “They’ll be fine.” _ He thought to himself, smiling.  _ “If anyone’ll go the distance, it’ll be those fuckers.” _

* * *

Chiaki hummed some theme or other to herself as she fished out the key to their apartment door. It was getting into the early evening now, the back and forth ride on the trains taking up so much of her day. Still coming down from the high of dealing with Hajime’s parents, she only barely realised that she just locked the door - the door had been unlocked when she got there. Chiaki frowned to herself - Hajime shouldn’t be home, he was meant to be out with Fuyuhiko. Re-unlocking the door, Chiaki strode in.

“That you, Chiaki?” Hajime’s voice called out from the couch. Chiaki placed her bag and jacket by the door, and strided into the kitchen area, pouring herself a glass of water.

“Yeah, it’s me.” She said flatly, exhausted. Not only was the encounter with Hajime’s parents one of the more emotionally draining things she’d done, getting the shinkansen all the way back tired her out physically as well. All she wanted to do now was collapse and deflate on the couch with Hajime, maybe get back to their Monster Hunter run. That’d be a nice way to cap off the day.

“Can we talk for a little bit?” He said in a funny voice. Chiaki froze up. Did he already know? Her idiocy reared in her mind - of course he’d know, with the way his parents were acting, they probably called him right after she left. Her worry turned into a frenzied panic as that train of thought continued. If they told Hajime about what had happened, would they have told him about her New Year’s operation? Panic began to flare anew inside her silly little brain. But what else could she say?

“S-Sure.” She murmured, just loud enough for him to hear. Downing her water, she strode around the couch, and sat next to her partner. He looked… better than he did a few nights ago, when he was stuck in the pits of self loathing, but she could see all the conflict in his eyes as he looked at her. She could seem him try to smile - it didn’t work. “A-Are you okay?”

“So my parents called me when I was out with Fuyuhiko.” He said quietly, looking at his legs. “Said you went over to my house, had a chat with them.” Chiaki gulped. She figured, but it still wasn’t great to know that her actions were the cause of all this.

Slowly, she explained her side of the story. Why she went to talk to his parents. What happened there, even if she knew his parents had already told him. Chiaki did her best to explain her own fragmented reasoning, though she decided to omit Sonia egging her on to actually do the deed. This was her own pitfall, Chiaki decided. Hajime didn’t say anything as she explained, explained how terrified she was of how anxious and depressed his parents had made him, and that all she’d tried to do was fix it, in the hope he’d feel even the slightest bit better. To her credit, she didn’t look away from his anxious, frustrated eyes, not until her tale was told, and her eyes dropped to her shoes. After a long period of silence that mildly terrified her, Hajime sighed.

“My parents and I have never gotten on, and I don’t speak to or about them that often, you know that.” Hajime said quietly, hands gripping his knees. It wasn’t as bad, but Chiaki saw the turmoil behind his eyes when she chanced a look. “What happened a few nights ago, between me and them, was terrible. It hit me like a thousand bricks, but at the same time…” He looked right at her, and Chiaki felt a cold chill run down her spine, like nothing else she’d felt before, at least with him. Hajime’s eyes were full of confusion, of hurt and worry. “Chiaki, what the fuck were you trying to do?” She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. What could? “Sure, they’ve finally accepted you, but what could’ve happened? Cut off any contact? Chiaki, knowing my parents, they might’ve just called the cops on you for coming to their home like that!” She recoiled a little at that comment, her hands twisted on the edge of her skirt.

“I...I just…” She gasped, her brain overloading, spiraling into the wrong directions. “I just, you were so broken up, and I just wanted to help. I just wanted to fix things.” He saw his handsome features soften a little, though his frustration still burned in his eyes.  _ “I ruined everything. _ ” Chiaki thought to herself.  _ “My stupid brain thought it was doing everything perfectly, and it’s going to ruin what we’ve made.” _ She forced herself to keep listening.  _ “Is this game over? _ ”

“I know. I know, Chiaki.” He sighed. A little, nostalgic smile came to his face. It suited him better. “We got used to trying to fix each other's problems over the years. Trying to make each other better, stuff like that. And I guess this is no different really. You saw how much pain I was in, and you’d do anything to make me better. Right?” Chiaki gave a little nod. Hajime sighed again, putting his head in his hands. “I should’ve communicated better. Told you I could deal with them. Get them to understand what our relationship really means. But instead, I had a stupid fucking breakdown, and you thought I needeed to be saved.” He groaned into palms. “Ah, me and my goddamn breakdowns, ruining everything.” 

Without warning, Chiaki reached forward and grabbed his arms, making her partner look her in the eyes. He looked taken aback by her forwardness, by the determination mixed by worry in her eyes. She’d seen him gone down this path before - blaming himself horribly for the decisions of other people. For putting everything on himself, again. She couldn’t let him snowball further into despair.

“It was my fault, Hajime!” Chiaki said, surprised by the loudness of her own voice. “I went to fight those bosses, not you!” God, she hoped he understood what she meant. Even at times like this her stupid speech patterns were like this. “Y-Yes, I did what I did because you were so torn up, but I made the decision. I went there behind your back, I battled them. It… took a long time, because of how bad I am negotiating with demons, but it was all me who went that route!” Her voice was starting to quiver a bit, but she didn’t let him see  _ her _ turmoil, her fear. She had to set this right. He watched her, silently, almost contemplative. “I could’ve - I did really mess up, and almost destroy your relationship with your parents.I know you’re frustrated and scared by that prospect, but, um.” Her eyes dropped, her confidence faltering. “Direct it at me, not at yourself.” Chiaki resisted the urge to look down at the floor, and stared back at her love. A myriad of expressions rapidly passed Hajime’s features - frustration, anger, sadness, fear, and so many more. Finally, he let out another big sigh.

“C’mere.” He murmured, holding out his arms. Chiaki’s lips wavered for a second, and then practically threw herself into his arms, The stress of seeing his parents, worrying about Hajime’s mental state the last few days, and everything else that had happened hit her all at once, and a few tears began to drip down her cheeks. For the first time, she realised she hadn’t really given herself time to deal with everything that had happened.Of course she worried about Hajime’s health but everything she had done to help him had had an effect on her too. Chiaki felt she grew emotionally since her high school days, but still… it was good to let it out a little. Just a little, though.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Hajime murmured, stroking her hair lightly. It was almost amazing how warm and comforting he was, even in this situation and already Chiaki felt the stress and anxiety that had built up around her the last few days dripping away ever so slightly. She held him tightly, praying that it was the same for him too, even a little bit. 

“I-I just knew how far you can go if you got like that. W-With how bad things got this time, a-and compared to last time, I just…” She sniffed again, Hajime just holding her tighter. She couldn’t find the right word to describe how she felt about him. More than care, more than love. Chiaki just wished she could convey herself better. Maybe she wouldn’t have arsed this all up so badly if she could. 

“I know you care, I really do.” He smiled, ruffling her light hair. “I wouldn’t have been with you for eight years if I didn’t. And I know we’ve never really had something like happen to us, but…” He sighed heavily, his voice heavy with mixed emotion. This was probably the closest she’d seen him being actually angry with her, but even then he was still careful with his words. He gripped her hands a little tighter, stroking his thumb over her knuckles. “Just don’t do this alone, or without consulting me. I love you Chiaki, I really do, but I don’t want you and my parents potentially ripping each other apart over me. I just can’t take that.” He locked her gaze, tightly. “I don’t want you to be the reason I don’t talk to my parents anymore, either.”

“Just… in the future, leave dealing with the parents to me.” He sighed, ruffling his parent’s hair. “You’ll be my backup, but I’ve got twenty-five years of experience dealing with them. Anyway, I’m glad we at least had to have this talk eventually. I mean, when we get married, it’s probably best we have as good communication as possible!” He laughed, his chuckles decreasing once he saw how heavily Chiaki was blushing. “C-Chiaki?”

“I’m too low level to think about that, I think.” Chiaki mumbled, trying to move the conversation away from  _ that _ as quickly as possible. At least if there was one good thing to take out of all this, it seemed his parents  _ hadn’t _ told Hajime about her plans to propose. Thank god for that.

“I think you’re a bit higher level then you think you are, considering what you did today.” He said softly, stroking her cheek gently. “And for a lot of reasons, actually.” He added, leaning in to kiss her. Chiaki felt her heartbeat just that little bit harder. Even after so many years, he still had this effect on her.

“I love you.” Chiaki whispered once the kiss ended. “And I’m sorry.” She added, resting her head on his shoulder. Hajime stroked her hair lightly, smiling to himself.

“I know. I love you too, Chiaki.” After a long pause, he added “Thank you for trying to help me with my parents. At the end of the day, I know your were just trying to help us all.” Chiaki nodded against him. “Just, uh, maybe try and not see my parents as a boss fight.” He added again, laughing a bit. Somewhat disappointingly, he let go off, letting Chiaki stretch her limbs a little bit.

“That’s easier said than done. There was a point when I was there that I felt curing Full Life on them wouldn’t fix the wound they made between you and them..” She said dryly. “I can see they love you a lot, just…” 

“They’re assholes.” Hajime remarked. Chiaki nodded again.

“They’re assholes.” She agreed, laughing a little, leaning gently against him. They sat like that for a long time, just comfortable in each other's presence. And Chiaki would’ve stayed there much longer, if she didn’t notice just how late it’d gotten. It was pushing seven, something which somehow shocked her despite how busy she’d been all day. Of course, the thing that alerted her the most was the long, rather loud rumbling that emanated out of Hajime’s belly. A light pink tinge emerged across Hajime’s face, her love shyly looking away. Chiaki tried (and failed) to hide her giggle. “Hungry?” Hajime hesitantly nodded.

“Mm.” He nodded, crossing his arms out of embarrassment. Chiaki glanced at the kitchen, her motivation for cooking tonight being utterly close to zero.

“I, um, know it’s my turn tonight, but do you just want to order a pizza or something? I, well, don’t really feel like cooking or anything.” Hajime finally stretched out, giving her a thumbs up. 

“Took the words ‘outta my mouth.” He told her, getting up to get the phone. “Normal order?” Chiaki nodded avidly. Living together, the two of them lacked a lot for self control, but pizza was one of the things they worked hard to avoid buying too often. Getting pizza was honestly more of a special event then anything else. Or, as it was more often, an easy answer for dinner when they were both in an emotional hole. And the only thing better than pizza night, Chiaki thought, trying to chill out a little bit, was pizza night mixed with a little gaming. Whilst Hajime called the store, Chiaki reached over to the table to grab her Switch. They planned the previous night to play Monster Hunter on the Switch together, and even with the earlier argument, she was not missing that date. The usual setup for co-op gaming was to have Hajime playing on the TV whilst Chiaki played in handheld mode - so many years of playing on her DS’s little screen had made it just as easy as playing on their widescreen. Even as she got the game booted up, her mind still buzzed with anxiety. Shame still burned in her brain from what she’d done. She’d gotten such grand ideas in her mind, feeling she had the power to just fix everything with her earnestness and care for Hajime. She’d been overconfident, and even now she had to control her fear on how much she really could’ve hurt Hajime today. Having put the order in, Hajime flopped back down unto the couch next to her, grinning broadly.

Seeing he really was okay, after so many days of being so caught in his anxiety and terror… that helped make Chiaki feel just a bit better, too.

“All right, what’s on the menu for tonight, then?” Hajime asked, switching on his own Switch. “Besides, uh, the actual food.” Chiaki made a long ‘hmmm’ noise, going through a number of menus to work out what came next.

“I wanted to max out my Deviant Malefisto set, so do you want to grind out those fights tonight?” Hajime, now frowning a little as he went through his weapon collection.

“Sure, if we alternate and work on powering up my Glavenus Longsword.” And so the conversation went on from there, the couple of eight years entering ‘gamer mode’, quite possibly Chiaki’s favourite of their ‘modes’. No one quite reached Chiaki’s gamer levels, but over the better part of the decade they’d been together, Hajime had slowly been ‘corrupted’ (as Chiaki loved to call it) into the gamer space, to the point it was rare he didn’t end up playing something on a free night. Sure, he wasn’t as passionate about it like she was, but when he really got into a game, Hajime went hard. In the current case, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate had sunk it’s addictive fangs into him, and he was constantly nagging Chiaki to help him farm this or that. 

  
Of course, every time he asked her if she wanted to play, Chiaki knew her face lit up like the sun, and that warm, special feeling she’d never really experienced with anyone else. Well, eight years of dating will do that to someone, anyway. They were up to nearly midnight playing, that night, even with both of them having work the next day. They didn’t care. 

This was how her life was meant to be. Quiet, relaxing, playing some of the best video games in the world with the best person in the world. But at the same time, New Years was drawing closer and closer, and now that she’d made  _ that _ declaration to Hajime’s parents, she was even more nervous about it. But, again, moments like this, playing and laughing with Hajime, made her sure of her decision. As they switched everything off for the night, Hajime let a great big yawn.

“I’m gonna go have a shower before bed.” He decided, getting to his feet. “You can get into bed if you want, I’ll only be ten minutes.” Chiaki nodded, slotting her Switch back into it’s dock to charge. 

“Mhm.” She murmured. “I’ll see you in there.” As Hajime moved to the closet to grab a towel, Chiaki found herself pouting a little bit. She’d planned to have a shower before bed, but with how long Hajime’s ‘ten minute showers were’, she knew she’d be waiting until around one in the morning for that. As Hajime disappeared into the bathroom, the sound of the shower following soon after, a silly little smile stretched over Chiaki’s face. “Well, it is important to be efficient…” She muttered to herself, also getting to her feet. Tugging off her shirt, Chiaki followed Hajime into the bathroom, grinning all the while, just waiting to see the look on his face as she rapidly undressed.

* * *

  
  


Long after she’d nodded off, Hajime watched her sleep, stroking her light hair gently as her chest rose and fell, a goofy smile etched on her peaceful features. Honestly, it was surprising he was still awake - with everything Chiaki put him though when they had sex, normally he passed the hell out oncec she was done. But with everything that had happened tonight, his call from his parents, and his talk with Chiaki, how could he just nod off like she did? After all, tonight was the night that had really cemented his plans. After all, if she was going to fight so hard to mend the gorge between him and his parents, how could he not want to marry her?

His heart still fluttered, like a love-starved teenager, when he thought about that. Well, why wouldn’t he want to marry her? They’d been together for eight years, just about nothing brought him as much happiness as being with her, and the idea of spending the rest of his life with her, well, sounded nothing short of brilliant. Sometimes, though, he worried she didn’t feel the same way. Obviously he knew she wouldn’t leave him, today proved that more than anything, but sometimes he still wondered if she was just okay with everything staying the same. She’d never brought up the topic of marriage, or anything like that, but neither had he, to be fair. He suppressed a groan as he stretched his legs. Honestly, he would’ve been perfectly okay with just going to bed after his shower, but after Chiaki had nonchalantly just gotten into it with him, and then seeing her, still damp, stretched out on the bed… well, she made it hard to just nod off to sleep, sometimes. His partner stirred slightly, mumbling something unintelligible as she gripped at him tighter, She was so possessive in her sleep, Hajime thought with a smile. Sometimes he thought about proposing to her out of the blue, but with work and everything, along with Peko and Mikan’s wedding coming up, there just wasn’t time. So next year.

  
_ “Next year.” _ He thought to himself again, wrapping an arm around her bare form.  _ “Just a little longer, and I’ll be ready to give everything to you, Chiaki.” _ And with that, Hajime settled back on his pillow, nodding off to sleep almost instantly in the warmth and softness of Chiaki’s body. His last thought before he nodded off just how good being together in the shower was - maybe next time  _ he’d  _ be the one to surprise her. And with his own goofy smile on his face, Hajime descended into the throes of sleep, his dreams only of her - though, he’d probably be red in the face if he told her what they were about.


	6. Chapter 6

As a part of their somewhat slovenly lifestyle, Hajime and Chiaki didn’t live in the cleanest apartment in the world. It wasn’t the worst trash heaps in the world, but a lot of dirty plates, bags and boxes of food, and such things were _constantly_ strewed across the apartment. Honestly, video games were the _only_ things that went back onto the shelf once they weren’t in use – Chiaki was very forceful in that respect. The only times they worked hard to actually clean the place was when they visitors coming over, and as they’d done so for Hajime’s parents, they were for their next guests – though to the young couple, these new guests were probably a little more important. After all, since tomorrow was the day of Mikan and Peko’s long awaited wedding, just about all of their dear high school friends were making the trek to attend – that including the Queen and consort of Novoselic, who, despite the embassies and hotels such important figures could have at a snap of their fingers, chose the humble apartment of their dear friends to stay at.

On the day of their arrival, Hajime sealed up a garbage bag and placed it under the sink, so he could toss it out the next day. Shambling over to the couch, where Chiaki sat, for once not playing a game, just glued to her phone, Hajime collapsed into an armchair, his head rolling backwards as he fully relaxed.

“Finally, we’re all clean. We did it.” He held out his hand to hi-five Chiaki, but without looking she just pumped her fist at it, Hajime to tired to laugh or point it out all, just letting it drop. “We should really clean up more often, just so we don’t have to bust our asses for days on end. If the other staff at work knew I was such a slob…” He grumbled to himself.

“Mm.” Chiaki replied, still glued to her phone, very obviously not paying attention. Hajime looked her over, briefly. She was wearing her special green hoodie, the one she’d worn so often in high school, with its cute little ears. She didn’t wear it too often – since she had work, and just generally worse less when at home, and since Hajime frequently pinched it to wear due to how warm it was.

“Feeling nostalgic?” Hajime asked, Chiaki very briefly looking up, confused. “The hoodie – you normally wear when seeing our friends.” She nodded a little, eyes re-gluing to her phone. She’d been tracking Sonia and Gundham progress towards the house for hours. Hajime didn’t really mind, just happy to be able to relax for a little bit. And then, Chiaki’s phone made a little jingle, probably from Final Fantasy or something, and she practically jumped to her feet, shocking Hajime out of his almost-nap.

“They’re here!!!” Chiaki half shrieked. “S-Sonia texted me, she’s in the elevator now!” Hajime was smiling as he got to his feet, but he was still grumbling.

“Could’ve used a little more warning.” He murmured, moving over to the door. “All I wanted was a little rest before I had to play host…” He obviously didn’t mean it, but sometimes, Hajime just loved to grumble. Chiaki half-skipped ( _most energetic I’ve seen her all week,_ Hajime thought idly) over to the door, Hajime groaning as he slowly moved after her. Just as they reached the door, with great timing, as the doorbell rang. Hajime was the one to open the door, a big smile erupting on his face as he finally got to see his friends for the first time in years.

What greeted him was the face of who was (and still was, in many ways) the Ultimate Breeder, Gundham Tanaka. His hair was similar to how it was in school, yet it had grown both longer and somewhat wilder. His scarf seemed to have grown even longer, and yet it felt empty without having hamsters running about in it – Gundham had mentioned that the vast progeny of the Four Dark Devas of Destruction had remained at home, to not agitate them from extended flight. In a long, dark purple trench coat, Gundham looked absolutely delighted to see his dear friend – and be in a more ‘suitable outfit’ for the first time in a long time.

“Oh, ancient singularity!” Gundham boomed, Hajime cringing slightly with the worry that their neigh boughs would wonder what was going on. He quickly pulled Hajime into a strong, one-armed hug, one that Hajime found himself unable to break out off. “Long have I wished to drink from your endless well of power!” Hajime sighed, patting his old friend on the back, resigning himself to getting used to his once again. 

“BESTIE!” Hajime cringed again as Sonia was _even louder_ than her husband, dropping her bags and practically picking up Chiaki in her embrace. “I’m so glad to see you!” In a similar, white version of her husband’s trench coat, Sonia looked absolutely divine as usual, despite her eyes betraying her fatigue. She clutched Chiaki so tightly it looked as if she’d break a little, but Chiaki didn’t seem to mind at all.

“I’m… I’m so happy to see you too, Sonia!” Chiaki beamed, letting Sonia release her grip a little on her. “I’ve barely slept the last few days out of excitement.” Chiaki said, looking as if she didn’t really believe it was real. “I haven’t been able to get any real work done, so I’ve just been gaming all the time.”

“Isn’t that… quite the normal life for you, then?” Sonia said slowly, trying to hold in a laugh, until Chiaki tilted her head in visible confusion.

“…I guess you’re right.” She said slowly, and _then_ Sonia couldn’t hold in her laughter.

  
“Come on, get out of the doorway, come in!” Hajime waved the royal couple into their home, taking one each of Sonia and Gundham’s bags as she did so. “I’ll dump these in our bedroom, so you’re ready for them tonight.”

* * *

It was simply amazing they were even here in Japan in the first place, let alone staying in their very home. It seems Sonia’s countrymen were _very_ trusting of their Queen and her consort - letting them come to Japan and stay in an unknown household, without any ( _visible, Hajime noted_ ) bodyguards was insanity. Thankfully her homeland was relatively unknown in Japan, so her coming and going would remain fairly opaque. The hour of their arrival was pretty late, so whilst Chiaki chatted with them somewhat idly, mostly asking about their flight, Hajime put together their dinner.

“Ready to eat, guys!” Hajime called out from the kitchen counter, holding two platers for Chiaki to take, so they could set the table faster. Chiaki leaned up to kiss him as she took the plates from him.

“Thanks for letting me chat with them a bit.” She smiled, Hajime blushing just a bit from the gesture.

Dinner wasn’t anything that special, though Hajime worked hard to make a vegetarian-based pasta dish, just for the benefit of their guests. Gundham had been a vegetarian for the last two decades, and Sonia had picked up the lifestyle not long after they began dating. It wasn’t much extra work, but when he put the plates in front of his dear friends, he felt his heart thump warmly at the genuine gratitude on their faces.

“So, how have the others residing in Kyoto been?” Sonia asked, putting her cutlery together, her meal done. Everyone from their high school class kept some tabs on one another, but some less so then others – in this case, Sonia hadn’t really connected with Peko, Fuyuhiko or Mikan as much as she’d like.

“Well, you already know that Mikan and Peko are getting married, obviously.” Hajime laughed, doing the same with his finished meal.

“They took me wedding dress shopping a few weeks back.” Chiaki said, food still in her mouth. “I wasn’t that useful, since I kept pointing out totally unaesthetic dresses, but in the end, Peko took my suggestion for a colour, which was nice.” She added, shovelling seconds onto her plate.

“What of the young lord of darkness, the fledging beacon of nightmares?” Gundham asked, Hajime assuming he was referring to Fuyuhiko.

“The good ‘ol baby-face is doing the work you’d expect. He’s still yakuza, though and though, but he’s still trying to keep things a bit more on the ‘honourable’ side of things. Less shaking down civilians, more internal stuff, that kind of thing. I, uh, try and avoid being caught up with it.” He laughed, wondering if he should avoid mentioning anything about Fuyuhiko’s business. “We keep our professional and personal lives very separate, and when it comes to dealing with the biggest yakuza clan in Japan run by my best friend, I’ll keep it that way.” Gundham nodded, as if he remotely understood how that felt.

“I understand, dear singularity.” Gundham rumbled. “Frequently I confer with the beings who stray from the light, and frequently must I hide such connections from my dear Dark Queen.” He smiled to himself, almost looking satisfied – despite his wife frowning distinctly right at him.

“So, which ‘beings that stray from the light’ are you hiding from me, dear Gundham?” As they watched Gundham squirm out of his speech patterns, Hajime and Chiaki roared with laughter, feeling happier than ever that they really were seeing their dear friends after so many years. After a decently long, humour-filled chiding of Gundham by Sonia, Hajime and Chiaki spoke more on what had been happening with other members of their high school cohorts.

Nagito had been off the radar a bit, ever since his operation the previous year, though Mikan claimed she’d been keeping in contact to monitor his condition; Akane was training for the Olympics, with Nekomaru being a part of the _entire_ Japanese training team, across all sports; Ibuki’s music career wasn’t hitting the heights she wished, but she remained popular in underground circles. Hajime and Chiaki hadn’t kept too well in touch with Mahiru or Hiyoko, but the former was frequently travelling abroad on a variety of photo-journalistic jobs, whilst the latter was becoming widely acclaimed as a dancer across Japan. Souda was working somewhere classified in the government, and Teruteru was staying somewhat small-time in his hometown. Finally, none of them had heard from the Ultimate Imposter since leaving school – though Mikan had told them that a letter claiming to be from them had turned up a few weeks back, wishing them a happy marriage.

“I’m glad you keep up with everyone at least a little bit, Chiaki!” Sonia beamed, leaning back on the chair.

“Yeah, I need to go sit down after going over all that…” Chiaki sighed, looking a little worn out. One look over at the wall-o-games, however, seemed like Chiaki had better ideas.

“Well, you guys go get settled on the chairs and couch.” Hajime said, getting up to getting up to gather the plates and cuttlery, knowing Chiaki will find something for everyone to have fun with. “I’ll get everything cleaned up."

* * *

With a wedding to go to the next day, they really should’ve gone to bed at a reasonable hour. But no, in the Hinata/Nanami household, reasonable hours for bedtime did not exist, due to the evils of video games, late night movies, or other, more private activities. In this case, the former reigned, as Chiaki demanded they dig out the Nintendo 64 to play Mario Party 2. Hajime, never being the biggest fan due to his extreme bad-luck in Mario Party, had just finished clearing the dinner table when he walked in one the other three setting up.

“Can we play _anything_ else?” Hajime sighed, rubbing his face from frustration. “Can we play something I have a _chance_ of doing well at?” Chiaki just looked over at him, tilting her head.

“It was Sonia’s idea.” She just said, and Hajime glanced over at the young woman. She just shrugged, grinning.

“I love the good-natured heart-to-heart battles Mario’s Party always brings out in a crowd. I’d ask for nothing less!” She declared, pumping a fist in the air. Hajime just sighed, falling into the only unoccupied armchair. Raising his eyebrows at Gundham, his odd-minded friend flashed a grin that just further depressed Hajime.

“The beings of chaos that inhabit my mortal shell call out to partake in this ritual of madness.” Even as she said it, he still settled into the other armchair like a kid playing his very first video game.

“All right, all right, fine!” Chiaki and Sonia cheered as Hajime picked up the controller.

As always, it wasn’t really a fight to be the winner - it was a battle to take player two, a fight Sonia and Gundham struggled over, even as Hajime was brutally pummelled and bullied throughout the game. Chiaki couldn’t help but giggle when he vocally complained, justifying his struggles with believing himself to be genuinely terrible at these kinds of games. And he was, Chiaki told herself, but she still tried to encourage him to keep trying, despite the inevitability of his losing position. And inevitable it was - Sonia’s skills manage to snag her second place, but Hajime did fall into the abyss, both personally and visually on screen, of last place.

“Mario Party is bullshit, anyway.” Hajime groaned, putting his controller done. Chiaki sat up from leaning on him, putting a hand to her mouth in faked horror.

“Hajime!” She gasped, trying to hide her smile. “Such sacrilege isn’t to be said in this home!” Hajime crossed his arms, huffing as he looked away, half-grinning at Sonia and Gundham as he did.

“She rejects me, because she doesn’t like my truth.” Hajime said with a woeful attitude, making Sonia giggle and Gundham boom with mirth.

“You simply have to move past the competition and immerse yourself into the futuristic wonder that is this brilliant game.” Sonia beamed, already trying to set them up into a second game of Mario Party.

“Sonia, I really need to show you some more modern games, if you think this is futuristic… though it is the best Mario Party, I suppose.” Chiaki drawled, not complaining at all about another run.

“Oh!” Chiaki suddenly said, half jumping out of her chair, the other three glancing over at the sudden noise. “Sonia, you should play my new game! I’ve got the newest build on my laptop, if, um, you’d want to?” She added, a little more awkwardly. Hajime laughed to himself mock-derisively.

“Lucky.” He told Sonia. “Her dev studio’s been working on that game for a year, and I _still_ haven’t had a chance to play - Chiaki won’t let me.” He frowned at her, his partner just giggling in response. Sonia radiated an absolutely brilliant grin, clapping her hands together as she got to her feet.

“Chiaki, I would be absolutely thrilled to try out your team’s newest creation!”

“How’ve things been, being the Queen’s consort and all that? You weren’t married the last you were here, anyway.” Hajime asked, relaxing a little more into the chair.

“The life of a royal scion is long, exhausting work, even with the crippling power at my fingertips.” Gundham murmured, stroking his chin lightly. “However, the power’s afforded to one being such as I have been grand in affording me the strength to assist those who cannot assist themselves.” Hajime nodded in response.

“Mm, you’re right, I remember seeing you on the news a few months ago, at one of those big animal preservation conferences, right?” Gundham murmured a laugh a little, nodding.

“Having the divine title of ‘Ultimate Breeder’, alongside the consort of The Dark Queen has given me much sway in the international hellscape my fated wife must navigate.” He narrowed his eyes as Hajime laughed a little. “Why do you laugh, Singularity!?” Hajime waved him off, shaking his head.

“’It’s nothing, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Hajime restrained his laughter. “I… just missed chatting with you, old friend.” Hajime mused, leaning back in his chair. “The girls talk so much, but we really need to make an effort, at least on my part.” Gundham cackled quietly, somehow managing to dramatically pose whilst seated in an armchair.

“Nay, the blame for this crime is shared by myself. The work of a lord is never-ending, but I find time to care for my gentle bestial subjects. I am certain I can find the time to convert with a singularity like yourself.” He grinned at Hajime, and for a moment, Hajime felt her was back in high school, all over again.

“At least some of us never change, Gundham.” Hajime laughed, getting up to get a glass of water. “Promise me you’ll never go sane and boring like the rest of us.” Judging by his cackle, Hajime knew there wasn’t much danger in that. Glancing out the window, the sparkling lights of Kyoto shining back at him, he realised he’d been inside all day today. Looking back to his friend, he jabbed a thumb at the window. “Wanna have a jaunt in the darkness, Overlord?” He asked with a grin. Gundham responded in kind.

“Finally, you offer the correct question, Singularity.”

* * *

Chiaki stretched out on her side, scratching her slightly exposed belly due to her ever-so-slightly too small Donkey Kong t-shirt. Honestly, she felt a little at odds with her rather slovenly appearance, but that had more to do with how divine Sonia did. Even in a simple white, knee-length nightgown, her long blond hair hanging over one shoulder, she was still the picture of beauty. They’d spent a good half-hour messing around in the prototype for Chiaki’s studios newest game, a tactical game Sonia got a bit too into, even if she only could play a small part of it. The fact that Sonia _had control of an actual army_ made Chiaki wonder if introducing her to tactical strategy games like this was maybe a bad idea. Not long ago, Hajime and Gundham had come in, saying they were going for a short walk to grab some snacks and grab a walk, as Gundham wished for some exercise after such a long flight. So, for a bit of nostalgia, the two young women had gotten changed into their nightclothes and lay on the bed together, chatting like they were still high school students.

“So” Sonia said, lying on her side to face her best friend. “Whilst the boys are out gallivanting for a few moments, you must tell what plans you’ve made for New Year’s.” Chiaki could help but sigh a little, despite her smile. Of _course,_ Sonia wanted to talk about the proposal. What else did she expect from her best friend? After so many years of being her wingman, it was her solemn duty to be aware of this most critical of times. There was a _lot_ Chiaki wanted to talk to Sonia about over the precious next few days, but she’d give her the juicy info she needed.

“The game plan is still to propose on New Year’s, on his birthday.” Chiaki told her, propping her head up a little bit. “Mikan and Peko have been helping me pick out a spot - Peko said she’d probably be able to get a really nice rooftop spot picked out, with Fuyuhiko’s help.” She felt her cheeks grow warm as her plans refreshed in her mind. It was honestly getting even scarier, now – it was already October, three months till New Years. Three months until the most important branching route in her life. God, she was terrified. “Mikan’s been reaching out to people from school, hoping to get at least some of them to come for his birthday party anyway.” Sonia beamed, seemingly thrilled with her plan.

“Oh, this is all so exciting!” Sonia giggled with glee. “It’s funny – my own wedding was magical, but I almost find my bestie’s just as joy-inducing!” Readjusting her arm, a little, since it was falling asleep, she continued. “Who do you know is able to come to the party?” She asked.

“Mikan said Souda, Ibuki and Nagito were definitely coming, and that Mahiru and Hiyoko were pretty likely to come. Akane and Nekomaru are a little busy with training and practice and all that, but hopefully they can come as well.”

“That sounds divine, but I’m sure everyone will find their way to this life-changing event.” Sonia sighed, making Chiaki giggle a little. “What is it, dear Chiaki?”

“It’s nothing, it’s just… thinking about all the nights we were like this at Hope’s Peak. Just… how fast everything went by, looking back.” Her smile slowly slipped away, nostalgia gripping her.

“Chiaki…” Sonia murmured.

“I really missed you, Sonia.” Chiaki whispered, resting her head on Sonia’s shoulder. “I missed teaching you about games, about coming to you - person to person - for advice about Hajime. I missed seeing your banter with our friends, and just...ugh." She rubbed her face, trying to slap herself out of her funk. "Just wish I hadn't leveled up so fast.

“Oh, my dear Chiaki.” Sonia murmured, rubbing her friend’s head. “You always were a gentle lass, weren’t you?

“It just hurts to build up all these hearts with my friends, and to have us all scattered to the winds.” Chiaki sighed, rubbing her eyes from fatigue. Sonia nodded, understanding. “I mean, it was the first time I really had friends, really understood what I wanted in my life, and honestly I owe a lot of that character development to you helping me along the way.”

“It’s hard, being in my home, away from the comrades and connections I build up in that wonderful school.” Sonia sighed, idly rubbing Chiaki’s shoulder for support. “

“Well, without a doubt, the next few nights will be filled with gaming and catching up, don’t you worry!” She beamed. “I’ll cram a year worth of time into these few days we have, me and Gundham both. So, smile, my dear friend.” Sonia probably had such a hard life, leading an entire country – and she still worked so hard to make her own friends happy, even when she should be relaxing and unwinding.

“Thanks, Sonia.” Chiaki murmured, leaning on her friend a little. That seemed to make Sonia perk up even more.

“Oh, yes, Chiaki, I forgot to mention. I was speaking to my advisors - who I’ll admit, are _not_ happy I’m spending so much time this week in Japan - about my plans for this year. I spoke to them, without details, of course, about my dear high school friend’s upcoming proposal and wedding. Now, they are absolutely fuming at this point, but I believe I’ll be able to join you for whatever gathering you have planned for Hajime’s birthday and the aforementioned proposal.” That seemed to help a little bit – Chiaki immediately perked up, excitement peeking through her pale eyes.

“R-Really!?’ Chiaki asked, open-mouthed. Sonia hadn’t said anything when she asked before who was coming, so Chiaki had assumed she couldn’t, but… could she really make it? Sonia just grinned, nodding her head vigorously.

“Of course, Chiaki! What, did you truly believe such a loyal, uhm, gamer friend such as me would miss out on some of the most important moments of her bestie’s life? What do you take me for, fiend?” Chiaki giggled a little, absolutely delighted.

“I-I’ll work hard to get a wedding date that’ll fit your royal schedule. I don’t want to pull you away from some hardcore diplomatic grinding.” They both laughed at her particular phrasing, but then Chiaki felt a little more sombre, like she always did when she reached this point of her thought train. “Assuming he says yes, I guess.” She added, quieter. Why was she feeling so sad? This was meant to be a happy moment. Stupid brain.

“Don’t say that, Chiaki.” Sonia murmured, gripping her hand tightly. “You know how Hajime sees you - he’d head over heels for you, he’s been like that for years. You take him aside, on his birthday, looking your best, and he’ll remember everything he’s experienced with you, and remember everything you mean to him, and he’ll say yes.” Yes, she could almost imagine it, just how she wanted it to be. But that fear, that shake-inducing terror…

“I know how much he loves me, like I cast charm on him the first time we met.” She murmured; hands clutched together. “But it’s scary to think he doesn’t want a future like that, that we’ll break up when I ask….”

“You’re a good girl, Chiaki.” Sonia grinned, ruffling her light hair playfully. “You’ve built such a wonderfully ‘you’ life for yourself here in Kyoto. You’ve got a wonderful job, a lovely home, and the love of your life with you. I’m so proud of you, really.” She couldn’t really help it that much - her already fragile emotional state from her best friend’s visit had already left her vulnerable. A few happy tears dripping down her cheeks, Chiaki practically threw herself into Sonia’s arms, her royal friend, smiling tenderly as she held her for a long while. “He’ll say yes, dear bestie.” Sonia whispered, soothing her worries. “And then you’ll have the life your dream of, truly.”

Chiaki wanted Sonia’s visit of a few days to be wonderful, full of laughing, good times, and just plain old fun. With how stressed she was, with everything happening and about to happen, she let herself, just for a moment, collapse a little into her best friend, letting out all the anxiety she couldn’t share with Hajime.

Just for a little while, though. Then she’d have nothing but smiles for her best friend.

* * *

It wasn’t long until Hajime and Gundham had returned, though in the end they’d taken a bit longer then they’d expected. A couple of stray cats had started following Gundham around, , and since Hajime flat out told him they couldn’t be brought back to the apartment (Chiaki frowned at this, desperately wanting a cat but being bound by the prohibitions of the apartment), they’d spent a little time buying some food just to make sure the cats were fine. Since it was so late when they’d actually gotten back, and since Sonia and Gndham still hadn’t quite come down from their plane flight, Hajime had declared it was time for bed, even if Chiaki had groaned about that.

Saying their goodnights, Sonia and Gundham moved out of the main room, into Hajime and Chiaki’s bedroom. Out of goodwill they’d let Sonia and Gundham use their bed for the few nights they’d be spending in their household, so Chiaki took their couch and Hajime put down some bedding on the floor beside the couch. Chiaki didn’t really mind taking the couch, since half the time she was passed out on it from playing video games, but she still offered Hajime to take the couch instead of her, but he refused anyway, lamenting the fact they both wouldn’t fit on the couch, side-by-side.

“Don’t get a chill debuff down there.” Chiaki murmured, watching him quietly. Hajime laughed a little. Though he pulled the blankets a little tighter over himself. 

“It’s not too cold tonight, at least. And sleeping on the floor’s kinda fun, in its own way. Reminds me of being a kid.” Hajime laughed. “That’s kinda weird.” Chiaki shook her head.

“Not really. The amount of time I spent sleeping on the floor, drooling on the carpet because I passed out playing video games as a kid was insane.” She said it so matter-of-factly, as if it had only happened as a kid. Hajime had probably found her like that a hundred times whilst they were working at Hope’s Peak, and for that matter, he’d found her like that _last week._ “Hope Sonia and Gundham don’t mind out bed too much.”

“Oh, it should be fine.” Hajime said. “It’s a bit lumpy, but we’ve never complained.”

  
“You’ve always complained about it, Hajime.” Chiaki said bluntly, Hajime laughing a bit.

“I guess I do.” He admitted, before making a short pause. “It’s crazy, seeing our friends getting married.” Hajime said idly, watching Chiaki’s arm wobble back and forth in the darkness. “It feels like no time’s passed since Hope’s Peak, really.”  
  
“Mm.” Chiaki murmured, looking up at the ceiling. “Like a time skip in a video game. It barely feels like I can remember the last few years.” She sighed, quietly. “It was a shame we couldn’t go to Sonia’s wedding.” Hajime ‘mm’d’ a response, turning onto his back.

Sonia’s wedding had been a sudden thing, when the previous ruler of the nation had decided to abdicate in favour of their daughter and soon-to-be son in law. The proceedings, as per the countries’ law, had been rapid, and the new queen and her consort had taken the opptunity to marry - though, with the speed of the planning, none of their friends, sans Mahiru, who was working in an official capacity as both a photojournalist _and_ a wedding photographer, were able to attend the wedding. Hajime and Chiaki had managed to watch a broadcast stream of the wedding, and actually speak to the bride and groom that evening, but it wasn’t the same. How could it? It’d sucked for Hajime, but for Chiaki, to miss her best friend’s wedding. It had crushed her. Which is why she wanted her wedding to…

“It’ll happen to us, right?” Hajime said, knocking Chiaki out of her mindset.

“What will?” She asked, having zoned out a bit too much.

“I mean, it’s obvious we’ll get married in the end, right?” Hajime said, almost matter-of-factly. Chiaki basically felt her body seize up, mild panic surging through her system. She should say something to not break her scheme. “Chiaki?” Hajime asked again, wondering at her silence.

“It’s exciting to level-up together.” She finally said, wondering how much he was smiling, there in the darkness. Wondering if he could see how much she was smiling. “Really, really exciting.” She reached out to grasp his hand, holding it tightly as her brain surged. He wasn’t… proposing, was he?

“I don’t know when we’ll get there, but I can imagine you, with me, for the rest of my life.” He said, ever so softly. How did she respond to that, Chiaki thought? Honestly, she was mildly thankful he _wasn’t_ proposing right now, since she’d worked so hard with her friends to plan out New Years.

“I’ll be your party member forever, Hajime.” Chiaki murmured, not caring how totally lame it sounded. Hajime giggled a bit in the darkness but didn’t say anything. For a bit longer, they lay there in the darkness, holding each other’s hands, but eventually Hajime spoke up again, hesitation clear in his voice.

“We got an early morning tomorrow, Chiaki, so we should clock out.” Hajime finally said, clear he didn’t want this little moment to end. Chiaki made a childish groan, but agreed, nonetheless.

“Fiiine.” She sighed, clambering out of the blankets so she could lean down to kiss him. He rose up to meet, his hand stroking her soft hair ever so briefly. “I love you.” She murmured, smiling at him despite the near total darkness.

“Love you too, Chiaki.” Hajime replied, lying back down to wrap himself into the blankets. “See you tomorrow.”

“Night night.” It wasn’t long until his quiet snores began to echo through the room, almost a relaxing lullaby as Chiaki tried to fall asleep. It took her a long time to sleep, excited for Mikan and Peko’s wedding. She’d never been to a proper wedding, at least when she was older than eight; it was like a new level in a video game she’d never before accessed. And, almost as important as seeing her friend’s reaching the apex of their romantic route, Chiaki had a chance to see _how_ a wedding was meant to play out, how she was expected to act. Time to level up, she decided. She tossed and turned a bit longer, tired yet just not being able to fall asleep. Turning over again, she looked down at her long-time boyfriend, finally coming to her answer.

It felt weird, sleeping alone on the couch. It was a little silly, but she’d been sleeping beside him for over a decade. Even when they were at Hope’s Peak, even when Reserve Course and Main Course students were not meant to really visit each other’s rooms – and especially not meant to sleep together – they crept into bed with one another, and Chiaki really had gotten used to it. After all, the amount of times they’d had to sleep apart was so few, _how_ couldn’t she have gotten used to being beside.

So quietly, without waking Hajime, Chiaki moved her blankets and pillow beside him, cramped as it was, and curled up next to him. Yeah, Chiaki decided, feeling her eyelids growing heavy as she rested against Hajime. If possible, she’d never sleep apart from him anymore. She’d gotten far, far too used to it, and she never wanted to give up that little boon of dating him. The perks of marrying him…

 _“He wants to marry me!”_ Chiaki thought to herself, sleep beginning to overwhelm her. _“I wonder which of us will need to buy the blue feather… and if our bed is big enough…_ ” She half chuckled to herself, the little noise being enough to make Hajime groan a little, turning over to wrap an arm tightly around her, almost posseively in his dreams. Even if he didn’t have plans to in the immediate future (which made life a bit easier for her and her New Year plan), he foresaw a future for the two of them – and pretty much nothing made her as excited as that.

 _“Tomorrow is power-levelling for the future.”_ Chiaki decided, closing her eyes against Hajime’s side _“Tomorrow is going to be… amazing…”_


	7. Chapter 7

Hajime had been to a few weddings, mostly family friends, but he’d never been to a yakuza wedding. In his head, he’d pictured a smaller gathering – Peko and Mikan’s friends from school, perhaps Fuyuhiko’s immediate family, few more. He had not expected to see nearly a hundred gathered individuals, many whom Fuyuhiko told him were relatively high-ranking members of the Kuzuryu clan. After finding that fun little fact out, Hajime skirted out of the way of as many yakuza as possible – sure, his best friend was next-in-line to lead the damned organisation, but Hajime wasn’t in the mood to step on anyone’s toes. Despite it being mid-November, the bright sun swept away the morning chill, resulting in a genuinely picturesque day for a wedding. The location was just as picturesque – a massive courtyard of a simarliy massive building in the outskirts of Kyoto, likely one of the headquarters for the Kuzuryu’s operations in Kyoto.  
Ironically, as Hajime worked hard to avoid running into someone who could put a hit out on him, somehow, Chiaki had ended up chatting to a grizzled, forty-something year old man who seemingly held a deep affection for Yoshi. He always encouraged her to socialize outside her normal circles, but this was insane. She was wearing that expensive forest-green dress Sonia had bought for her nearly eight years ago – hell, Hajime had barely seen the dress in recent years, though it was always special to him – she’d been wearing it the first night they’d started their relationship.

As long as she was happy, he told himself, striding off to find one of his friends, someone who wasn’t liable to put a hit out on him. His state of dress wasn’t anything to write home about – black pants, white shirt, black vest, the usual. After greeting Souda and Nidai, and catching up for a few moments, Hajime jumped a metre in the air when Fuyuhiko tapped him on the back, half expecting a burly yakuza to challenge him over some accidental slight. But no, it was just his best friend, obviously delighted with how nervous Hajime was.

“Chill out, fucker, Just letting you know we’re about to get started. Chiaki’s already in the second row, so go take your place.” Hajime sighed, clutching his chest from fright.

“Yeah, yeah, no problem. Just… don’t do that today.” Fuyuhiko’s devilish grin told him there was no way he’d hold up that promise. He quickly made his way to his reserved spot, where Chiaki was indeed already waiting. There was a strong air of anticipation in the courtyard – Hajime supposed there was only a few minutes to go.

“You been to many weddings?” Hajime murmured to Chiaki, who was craning her head around at all the guests.

“My parents. Though I don’t really remember since I was less than a year old.” She said idly, waving across the aisle to Mahiru.

“Fair enough. Suppose we should take notes for the future, then.” He said playfully. Chiaki didn’t answer, though he could see the pink in her cheeks. They weren’t left waiting much longer.

As they strode up the aisle, together, there were a few gasps (mostly from former Hope’s Peak students) as their appearance came into view. Both women wore long dresses of varying colour; Mikan had opted for a more traditional white colour, whilst Peko had gone with a more _traditional-for-her_ dark grey that perfectly complimented her. Peko had mentioned a few weeks ago that, since Mikan really was marrying into a yakuza family, there was the slightest chance of an _incident_ at the wedding; whilst Peko was wearing her treasured blade, as Mikan strode down the aisle, each step slightly exposed the knife holstered at her thigh. Honestly, Hajime thought to himself, it was a really, really good look.

“Hajime, when we get married, can I have a knife on my leg?” Chiaki whispered quietly. Hajime, slightly pink-cheeked (and holding back very sudden, very emotional tears from seeing his friend’s tying the note) gave her a very ‘really?’ look.

“Yeah, sure, why not.” He sighed, and Chiaki held in a snicker. The actual ceremony wasn’t too lengthy, in the end – Peko wasn’t one to care about the traditions of marriage, and Mikan eyes were too full of adoration (and doing her best not to cry the entire time) that she barely heard a word that was being said by the priest. Everyone watched in reverent silence, even as they were declared a married couple. And then, with a look of joy on the face of just about every individual, the two young women lent forward for their special kiss.

Honestly, it looked as if Peko was just going to go into the traditional, rather chaste kiss expected of newly married couples, but Mikan just threw caution to the wind, wrapping her arms around Peko’s neck, pulling her close for a deep, passionate and very _teary_ kiss as the new couple’s assembled guests clapped at cheer at the beautiful union before them. He heard some particular whoops and cheers come from Ibuki and Souda, somewhere nearby, which only grew in volume as the newlywed women beamed at the crowd, hand in hand.

Hajime and Chiaki split up once everyone was on their feet after the ceremony had concluded. Once some food had been served, some sweets and whatnot, Hajime felt he finally had a chance to speak to Peko and Mikan. As he made his way over, he was joined by Sonia and Gundham, who seemed to have the same idea. Chiaki had wandered off somewhere to go chat with some of their old friends.

“That was truly beautiful!” Sonia said as the three of them reached Peko, quickly wrapping her arms around the swordswoman. “You don’t need a parade and ten thousand guests to have a brilliant wedding, just…” Letting go of Peko, Sonia held her arms out to state her point.

“Sonia, I don’t think your version of a wedding is really the norm.” At the same time, Hajime stepped up to Mikan, holding his arms out to give her a warm hug, trying not to laugh a little at how much she was shaking. She never really changed, did she?

“You guys looked amazing up there.” He murmured, feeling his dear friend shudder a little more in his arms. “You guys are gonna go the distance, if you ask me.”

“Oh, Hajime, I’m so…” Mikan barely got those words out before even more tears began to stream down her face, dripping onto Hajime’s back. Releasing the hug, he smiled sweetly.

“You did well to hold it in so long.” Hajime beamed, squeezing her shoulder for support. Mikan just nodded, wiping her eyes again as she sobbed uncontrollably. Peko just beamed at her wife, almost bouncing in glee. There truly were few things more adorable then the effect Mikan had on the otherwise steely-Peko.

“Oh, this reminds me of how Gundham acted at our wedding.” Sonia sighed, rubbing her cheek wistfully. “All emotions, shouting gratitude to his gods as thanks for bring him to- “The queen was interrupted by a horrified gasp from her husband, Gundham holding his hand over his face in consternation.

“Such accursed words must not be spoken in an arena of tranquillity!” Gundham shouted, crossing his arms like a child as the others laughed.   
Through the sea of revellers, Nagito emerged, looking far healthier than Hajime had seen him two years ago; Mikan’s intervention really _had_ saved his life.

“Howdy.” Hajime said as Nagito joined them. “Enjoyed getting through the crowd?” Nagito just shrugged.

“All smooth sailing for me, slipping through the cracks, jumping over a fallen over crime lord, nothing to it.” Hajime rolled his eyes jokingly as another former Hope’s Peak student reached the brides, this time Akane. She’d grabbed a small pile of food from the table, loading them up on her plate even as she came to speak to the bridges. Whilst all smiles, Peko and Mikan both shuffled a little back from the dress-ruining treats balanced precariously.

“Doesn’t marrying the second most powerful member of the Kyoto yakuza – or maybe in all of Japan – violate your hippopotamus oath or whatever?” Akane asked, stuffing her face with some cake. Hajime raised his eyebrows at Sonia, who seemed just as amused, holding in a blatant laugh at Akane’s gaff, whilst Mikan clutched Peko’s arm possessively.

“I-I don’t really care, a-actually.” Mikan declared, looking upon Peko with love and… many, many other emotions. Some of which… worried Hajime, but nothing he was sure Peko hadn’t discussed with her at length. “Peko doesn’t kill people for the fun of it, and she and Fuyuhiko have made a number of changes to the Kyoto branch, so… I don’t care what she does.” She lent forward to give her new wife a peck on the lips, her face tinged with pink. “As long as she stays with me, everything will be fine.”

“If that isn’t true love, I don’t know what is.” Akane sighed lovingly, eating another piece of cake.

“Truly.” Nagito said sarcastically, smiling all the while. Hajime was sure he’d never seen the pale haired young man never back away faster then when _Mikan_ of all people glared at him for that. Quickly excusing himself, glad Akane was firing another medical-based question related to the married couple, Hajime left to catch up with Nagito.

“Mikan is… actually quite terrifying.” Nagito decided as his old friend caught up.

“With everything she’s gone through.” He said quietly. “I think if anyone’s allowed to act that way, it’s her. She’s, uh, a bit possessive at times, though.”

“Well, it is her wedding, so who’s to blame her?” Nagito laughed, glancing back at the young doctor. “After everything she’s been through, she deserves to be basking in her hopeful future.” A thoughtful silence fell across the two young men, which lasted all of about three seconds.

“NAGITO!” Hajime and Nagito both tensed up as Nidai’s shout echoed across the courtyard, several members of the Kuzuryu Family turning to wonder who was shouting, quickly looking back as the young sports manager, larger than men twice his age, strode confidently towards them. “HAJIME!” Now _that_ was a busy man. Managing eight different international level teams, in three countries, it seemed there was no end to the former Ultimate Manager’s powers. He clapped both Hajime and Nagito on the back, both young men sputtering from his still other-worldly strength. “How have you young men been?”

“You’re younger than us, man.” Hajime laughed. “But good, really good. Yourself?” As if he had to say, he was constantly in sports-related news. After, surprisingly modestly, chatting about his work, he turned to Nagito as they continued to walk.

“Ever since I began Mikan’s treatment, what, five years ago? Things have been looking up. I’m not out of danger yet, but…” He laughed, scratching his head, as if his still potentially-lethal brain tumour was small news. I’m just glad to be in a situation where Mikan isn’t hunting me down for medical reasons.” Nagito laughed, Hajime and Nidai exchanging looks of mild horror.

“You have a brain tumour!” Nidai said, for once, not loudly, since even _he_ had the decorum to not shout something like that out.

“That’s in remission.” Nagito corrected, grinning, Hajime rubbing his forehead.

“A brain tumour that’s in remission, then! Of course, she’s going to hound you for treatment!” To his further consternation, Nagito just laughed.

“Yes, but she works so hard already, I don’t want her worrying when she doesn’t need to.”  
  
“You have a brain tumour!” Hajime and Nidai said together, their argument beginning to run into insane circles, circles Nagito was perfectly happy to elongate to frustrate his friends. Hajime knew how terrible the last few years had been for Nagito, with his brain tumour and related conditions – conditions that may have claimed him if not for Mikan’s early intervention. If old arguments, akin to eight years, could brighten up his day even a bit, Hajime was perfectly happy to argue endlessly – though he couldn’t help but be reminded of just how hilariously annoying Nagito could be sometime, his cheesy grin just rekindling more and more high-school memories; though with a little less desire to punch him in the face.

Meanwhile, Chiaki, after being interrogated by Teruteru for a good while on if she’d met any ‘eligible grabs’ at her work, only really letting her move on once she’d promised she and Hajime would visit his rapidly expanding restraint – and once he saw Mahiru, he quickly sprinted off to ask her a similar question about ‘eligible grabs’ on her world trotting photojournalist adventures. Finally, not tied up with old friends, Chiaki made her way to the centre of the courtyard, where Mikan was briefly not being overwhelmed by well-wishers.

“Mikan!” Chiaki half-yelled, perhaps with too much enthusiasm, drawing a squeak out of the newlywed as she patted her from behind.

“Oh, Chiaki!” Mikan sighed, pulling her dear friend into a hug. “Thank you for being here!” She mumbled, once again crying.

“I battled the horde of yakuza to congratulate you.” Chiaki mumbled into Mikan’s shoulder. Once she released, she looked up and down at her long, white dress. “You look stunning, Mikan. _Really, really_ gorgeous.” Mikan’s face reddened, giggling to herself as she held her arms behind her.

“Transcendent is the word I would use.” Peko said, wrapping arms around her upper chest from behind, Mikan once again squeaking a little. “Sorry about all the goons, Chiaki. Honestly, if it was up to me, I wouldn’t have half the upper echelons of the Kuzuryu Family here.” Peko sighed, wrapping an arm around each of them. “But the old man had to have his way, y’know.”

“Well, it’s good for one thing.” Chiaki mused, looking around at the legions of physically imposing yakuza. “It’s scaring at the heck out of Hajime.” All three young women were sent giggling at Hajime’s terror – even if it was a _little_ mean. “Sorry I raised my confidants with you guys much recently, just with everyone on, and everyone wanting to talk to you- “Before she could even finish, Mikan was shaking her head vigorously.

“No, no, please Chiaki!” Mikan spluttered. "Please don't feel bad for that."

“Half the reason we worked so hard for this wedding was to get everyone together again.” Peko murmured, looking around at their old friends, spread around the area. “So seeing you catching up with everyone, that’s just as good.” As Peko spoke, someone whispered something to Mikan, who glanced over to the far end of the courtyard.

“Oh, oh, Peko, they’re set up!” Mikan beamed, tugging on her wife, Peko sighing loudly despite her grin.

“Now, if excuse me, Chiaki.” Peko said, once again being tugged by her new wife’s hand. “I suppose I should execute some of my ‘newlywed duties.’ Chiaki watched as Peko and Mikan strode over to the cleared dancing area, a small crowd watching with delight as the two women began to dance magnificently – she’d expected that of Peko, but perhaps Mikan had a similar talent. Looking between the dance floor, and her partner now wandering somewhat aimlessly, Chiaki felt a cheeky grin come to her face as she made her way through the crowd

“Geez.” Hajime sighed, finally finding a chance to sit down. He loved seeing all his friends again, but man, he got tired a lot faster these days. Working with kids will do that to you, he decided. Glancing around, he noticed a section of the area had been cleared for a makeshift dancing area, where the married couple, along with a few other confidants of the Kuzuryu family, had already begun to dance across. Hajime couldn’t help but smile at his dear friends – he’d never seen Mikan or Peko look so damn happy. Honestly, the whole day had just made him excited – it wouldn’t be as expensive, or as expansive, or have as many terrifying people, but Hajime knew the wedding he and Chiaki would share would be every bit as wonderful and exciting as this one.

“Hey hey.” Speaking of which, Chiaki emerged from the sea of black-suited hit men, looking just as perky as ever – which was around fifty percent of a normal person.

“Hey.” He beamed, sitting up a bit as she leaned in for a kiss. “Enjoying yourself?”

“Mhm. Levelled up a ton of social links.”

“At least it’s a good opportunity for progression.” He laughed, relaxing back into his chair. He studied her face for a minute – there was no mistaking that meek, quiet expression. Chiaki wanted something. At least he didn’t have to wait long to find out.

“Hey, Hajime, do you want to dance?” She said it so matter-of-factly, Hajime wondered if he’d just overheard someone _else_ asking him. Nope, just his girlfriend. This truly was a one of a kind day. Despite that:

“No.” Hajime glared, crossing his legs defiantly. “I don’t dance, and you know it. For that matter, _you_ don’t dance, either!” He added, narrowing his eyes. And then he saw the disappointment on Chiaki’s face, the gaze of several of his high-school friends falling upon him. Hajime sighed, rubbing his eyes a little. He _really_ didn’t want to dance. “You really want to dance at a wedding?” He asked her. Chiaki nodded vibrantly, her eyes lighting up like stars.

“We don’t, um, really get the chance to do stuff like this, and I thought it might be good…” Her voice trailed off a little, making Hajime tilt his head in confusion.

“Good…?” Chiaki just shrugged, not answering him. His face softening to a smile, Hajime clapped his knees, getting to his feet. He’d never liked stuff like this, but this was a special occasion, separating a special event, with his special friends. He’d spent too many years doing things just because he didn’t feel like it – old habits die hard and all that. “Come on, let’s do this.” Hajime declared, holding out his hand to his partner. “But you owe me… something.” He didn’t really know what, but he needed something out of making him look like an ass.   
Chiaki beamed the most brilliant smile he’d ever seen from her, her hand gripping his hand as tightly as he could remember. As the two of them strode to the dance floor, the young couple earned a few whoops and cheers from their old friends, specifically Ibuki and Sonia. Even as they reached the dancing space, Mikan and Peko made their way over, still mid-dance, the latter grinning at Hajime.

“Don’t see you often in these parts, Hajime.” Peko laughed, Hajime feeling his face burn with embarrassment as he and Chiaki fumbled over each, trying to get into the right position to actually start dancing. He rolled his eyes at Peko, looking back at Chiaki as the two newlyweds danced away. He couldn’t be that frustrated, anyway – Chiaki was having so much fun, and he did need the practice. Couldn’t screw up when his own wedding came about. As they finally got underway, clumsily moving from step to step, his arm tucked around Chiaki, she gave him a weird look.

“Is my dancing that bad?” She asked, looking distraught. “You made a weird face.

“What?” Hajime said, surprised. “Of course not! You’re just as good as I am.” He consoled. Then it was her turn to make a funny face. “What now?”

“Your dancing level’s pretty low too, Hajime.” She chided him, tossing some hair out of her face. “That’s not really a compliment.”

“Shut up.” He laughed. “We _are_ awful at this.” And they really were, constantly stepping on each other’s feet, narrowly hitting other dancers, but it _was_ fun. He didn’t know if he liked doing, but it _was_ fun. Well, once he tuned out the sound of Fuyuhiko practically pissing himself laughing, it was.

* * *

After the main ceremony and celebration at the Kuzuryu estate, which wore on for much of the afternoon, a select few members of the congregation moved to a private hall for a quieter, close-knit celebration – specifically, Peko and Mikan’s high-school friends, the graduates of Hope’s Peak. They hadn’t all really gotten together like this, properly, for years now, and since they hadn’t been able to congregate for Gundham and Sonia’s wedding, this was the next best chance.

“Mikan, sit down for goodness sake!” Peko sighed, pushing her new wife into a chair. “You just got married, stop trying to serve everyone!” She clearly wasn’t angry at all – in fact the big, almost uncharacteristically goofy smile on her face hadn’t left all day. “Fuyuhiko and Hajime said they’d help out on that front, so we’re just going to relax, okay?”

“I’m sorry…” Mikan groaned, finally succumbing to Peko’s whims, her wife sitting down next to her.

“Did we agree to that?” Hajime asked Fuyuhiko, who just shrugged.

“Don’t think so.” Though, moments later, a powerful glare from Peko sent the two of them grabbing drinks for whoever needed them. “I think we did, actually.” He quickly added, heading off at a jog to grab some drinks.  
At any rate, it was a good opportunity for Hajime to catch up with everyone. He chatted to Mahiru about her recent entries to world photography magazines, bruised his arms arm-wrestling with Akane, and everything else that could only happen with the graduates of Hope’s Peak. He gave a drink to Chiaki, who seemed to be having a fantastic time going around bothering people with Sonia – perhaps _too_ good a time, considering she already had a drained drink in hand when Hajime got to her. Not that Chiaki got drunk that often, but on special occasions she could get a little over-the-top. Thankfully, there were no fighting games nearby, but Hajime still wondered if she’d try and bring those skills into the real world. Once he and Fuyuhiko were done with making the rounds, they returned to the happy couple, where a new, much more heated discussion was ongoing.

“Oh, I think I’m gonna need one of these.” Hajime murmured, taking the last drink for himself as he sat down next to the newly-weds, Mahiru and Teruteru, the latter of which was frowning at the food he was eating – he never seemed happy outside his own cooking, Hajime noted.

“You’re going into work tomorrow!?” Mahiru gawked, staring at the sleepy bride with an air of incredulity. “Isn’t that a little- “Mikan shook her head vigorously, acting as if she wasn’t, in fact, fatigued to all hell and back.

“I-I’m fine, a-actually!” She declared, pumping a fist in the air. “I-I’m the biggest asset in that hospital, and if I don’t go in, so much won’t get done, and, and-“   
  
“Mikan.” Peko said quietly, wrapping an arm around her new wife. “I think you can take the day off.” She locked her eyes on Mikan, the rest of the former students now totally quiet as the two women stared each other down.

“I-If I don’t go, no one will know what to do! I’m the only d-damn thing keeping the hospital running!” Mikan and Peko traded arguments back and forth, playful smiles betraying any secret of this discussion not actually being serious.

“At least she’s gotten a bit of confidence about her position and skillset.” Hajime murmured to Fuyuhiko, watching with some concern as in the back of the room, Chiaki was having her third drink of the evening. That was going to end well. His best friend flashed him a wry smile.

“Oh, this is nothing. You should see it when she’s at one of the offices, after the boys are in after, well, more violent business. Mikan just runs around, taking control of the situation, making sure everyone’s patched up and okay to go. It’s… honestly fucking hysterical, seeing grizzled Yakuza crumble under Mikan’s demands.” He looked back at his sister-in-law, sighing. “Mikan _is_ a total workaholic, though. She’s always stressing about work, running off whenever they call her in. Peko has to tie her down sometimes to stop her running off.” He smiled at Hajime in a way that betrayed many a pained experience. “Literally.”

“I won’t ask.”

“Good man.”

“Mikan, you are staying home tomorrow.” Peko decided, frowning. “And if you need a reason, then- “She lent over to her wife’s ear, whispering something that certainly involved _relations of the intimate nature_ , but not of the ordinary _nature_.

“I believe I will take the day off, upon second thought.” Mikan said slowly, her cheeks bright red, much of the group beginning to roar with laughter.

“You guys are weird.” Hajime sighed, crossing his legs as he drained his drinks.

“Blame Chiaki.” Peko giggled, trying to disarm Mikan’s once-again mounting embarrassment. “She’s the one who dragged you into this fucking lunacy of a friend circle.”

Speaking of which, Chiaki was having a great time at the after-party; there was a _lot_ of alcohol being served, since a few members of the group, like Akane or, well, herself were pretty enthusiastic drinkers at times. Chiaki usually tried to hold herself to having one big ‘binge’ a year, and she decided that her dear friend’s wedding was the time and place for that. She wandered from group of friends to group of friends, catching up or zeroing in on whatever was happening, until she finally completed her circuit of the room, stumbling over to chat with Souda and Hiyoko.

“Hey hey.” Chiaki said, sliding into the group.

“Hey, Chiaki.” Hiyoko murmured, taking a bite from whatever, she was eating. “Not drinking too much.”

“I haven’t exceeded my limits yet.” She replied, almost robotically, even as she swayed slightly from side to side. Hiyoko held in a snicker but didn’t say anything else.

“So, what have you been up recently, Chiaki?” Souda asked, sipping his drink. “The life of the Ultimate Gamer must be- “

“Oh, you know, normal stuff. I’m doing a replay of Yakuza 5 at the moment, so that’s taking up a lot of my time.” Ibuki snickered as Souda rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

“No, I meant… how’s work going?” He sighed.

“Oooooh.” Chiaki realised, not feeling remotely embarrassed. That was nice. She started going into detail about her role in the game studio, her role as a game producer, and the insane amount of work the team was under since it was mere weeks from release. “It’s probably pretty silly, considering you grind away in hardcore military stuff.”

“Nah, fuck that.” Souda laughed, crossing his arms. “Military is one thing – but I’ve heard about game development crunch – wouldn’t touch that in a million years!” He laughed again, flashing his still-heavily pointed teeth.

“Well, what about you?” Chiaki asked in turn. Souda crossed his arms, beaming his awfully pointed teeth.

“Oh, it’s nothing much. Just a top-secret job for the military, not that I can, uh, really talk about it.” He shrugged, smiling deviously. A solid ten seconds passed, before he grinned. “Anyway, it’s a project about- “He was about to spill the beans when Hiyoko gave him a hearty wack on the back of the head.

“Dumbass.” She sneered, the dancer shaking her head at him. “Don’t say it’s top-secret then blab about it to us – we’ll probably be the ones to get in trouble!” In all honesty, Chiaki hadn’t been the fondest at first of Hiyoko – _especially_ with how she treated Mikan in their first year. But ever since he growth spurt in their third year, and the intervening years since, she’d mellowed out a lot (probably due to Mahiru’s influence) and judging by the fact she was here at the wedding at all, had made amends to Mikan. Souda glared at the young dancer, sighing loudly.

“I wasn’t going to tell you anything classified!” He half-shouted, crossing his arms like a child. “I just wanted to say- “What he wanted to say, however, never came out, as Ibuki somehow phased into existence between him and the gamer, her ever-present smile bigger than ever.  
  
“Ibuki’s been touring the world!” Ibuki shouted over him, attention immediately moving away from the mechanic. Souda sighed again, but didn’t move away, smiling to himself. Looks like he wasn’t the only person missing the old dynamic of Hope’s Peak, Chiaki thought to herself, her brain still trying to keep up. She was on her fourth – or was it fifth? – drink of the night, and her brain was going all fuzzy, like she was in a dream sequence. It was pretty fun, honestly, since everything felt both more and less in and out of focus. She forced herself to focus as Ibuki continued. “I’m going to be doing a big recording thing in Kyoto next year, and Ibuki wants to have my pals pop up in it, or at least the ones living in Kyoto!” Chiaki’s eyes lit up, even if it was totally out of character for her. Alcohol’s effects _could_ be more then a debuff, Chiaki decided.

“Let’s fucking go!” Chiaki said without any thought, the other three spluttering into laughter.

“That’s what Ibuki wants to hear!” The singer shrieked with glee.

“Good luck getting the Crown Prince of Crime into a music video, but I’m sure you could convince Mikan and Peko to get in.” Hiyoko said, trying not to laugh too loud. “Though honestly, I’m surprised you’re into the idea, Chiaki. Not really your speed, is it?”

“The brain likes the idea today.” Chiaki said flatly, clapping her hands a bit loudly. “It’s simply up to the brain of the future to follow up.”  
“Exactly!” Ibuki agreed, wrapping an arm around Chiaki tightly. “You get it!”

“I sure don’t.” Souda sighed, scratching his head.

“Same.” Hiyoko agreed. “Though I suppose her ‘future brain’ might be a little up to it if Ibuki can con Hajime into the music video.”

* * *

The party wore on for a few more hours, but it was clear the revellers were beginning to run off out of steam. Hajime sat and chatted with the newlyweds, along with Mahiru and Nagito for much of the night, since he really had spoken to the two a lot less then the others over the years. He finally tore himself away from the conversation when Chiaki stumbled over, her face exuding glee despite her unsteady feet.

“She looks like she’s having a ball.” Mahiru said, smirking.

“I’d never thought Chiaki would be the one to show us all up, honestly.” Nagito added. Hajime sighed, getting to his feet as his partner reached him.

“Hajime, Hajime!” Chiaki grinning at her partner as he took her by the arms. “Ibuki said I can be in one of her music videos!” Hajime grinned at his news, though he frowned at little when he saw how red her cheeks have gotten. “You okay, though?”

“I’m just having so much fun!” Chiaki yelled, making him jump a little in surprise. Well, there was only one answer for why she was so rosy-cheeked, then. “I think I’m drunk!” Hajime wasn’t really sure how to react to that, so he just ruffled her hair, beaming.

“I’m glad you’re having a good night. Though, uh, how much have you had to drink?”

“This is… one of the best nights of my life…! Actually, wait, wait…Do you…” She mumbled, leaning in close, totally ignoring his question. “When we get home, do you want to…?” She was grabbing and tugging at the front of his shirt, cheeks reddening just a bit.

 _“Oh god.”_ Hajime thought to himself, glancing at Peko and the others, who were watching with hilarious fascination. _“Please don’t be horny in public, Chiaki. I know you’re drunk, but- “_

“Let’s play Smash Bros when we get home!” She grinned toothily, their nearby friends absolutely losing any sense of composure they had left. Hajime's rapidly reddening face, both from embarrassment and anticipation of what Chiaki _could_ ' _ve_ said, didn't help. God, she was weird when she got drunk.

“I think it might be time for Chiaki to call it quits.” Peko finally said once she calmed down, wiping tears out of the corner of her eyes. “We’ve still got some internal things to take care of with the brass once this is all done, so we should wrap things up soon, anyway.” At the same time, Sonia announced her presence, letting out a mighty yawn unlike her narrow frame. Her husband quietly followed, looking just as exhausted.

“Indeed, I feel my vitality drain, even as this night grows more and more exuberant.” The queen sighed, rubbing her eyes.

“I don’t really want to go home though…” Chiaki mumbled, stumbling a little even as Hajime held her steady. “Want to party up with y’all…” Peko sighed, striding up to Chiaki to whisper _something_ in her ear Hajime couldn’t catch. Whatever it was, it seemed to perk up right back up – or as well it could, considering her inebriated state.

“I’ll take you four home.” Fuyuhiko said, getting to his feet. Peko and Mikan followed suite, beaming despite inebriation and fatigue, respectively.

“Thank you so much for coming.” Peko whispered as Hajime gave her a hug. “You’re always welcome here, both of you.” It was kind of incredible how warm Peko had grown in the years since Hope’s Peak. The cold, rather terrifying woman had become the lovely, still terrifying woman Hajime called one of his best friends. “We’re gonna have a private party, just the normal five of us, next week, so we’ll catch up soon, yeah?”

“Absolutely.” Hajime grinned, slipping out of the hug.

“I’m so happy…” Mikan half-sobbed into Chiaki’s shoulder, the latter just rubbing her back half awkwardly, still looking as if she wasn’t quite sure what was going on. After the brides gave similar goodbyes to Sonia and Gundham, Fuyuhiko ushered the four of them towards the door, looking rather tired himself, but not before they gave one last final farewell to the assembled graduates of Hope’s Peak Academy. That was the worst part, really – saying goodbye, since had no idea when they’d all be together again. As they finally departed, he glanced at his partner – for once, she didn’t seem to torn up about it. In fact, she was humming with glee.

Well, whatever made her happy.

* * *

“That was a truly wonderful ceremony.” Sonia sighed, stretching out her long legs in the passenger’s seat. Her husband rumbled with glee, nodding. It wasn’t too far back to Hajime and Chiaki’s apartment building, but there was enough time to just unwind and relax.

“Indeed. The union of the forces of the underworld, and the corrupted angel of life will be sure to inspire new wonders in this enlightened age.” Chiaki just groaned, shaking her head. Hajime craned his head around the seat, sighing at his partner.

“You really did drink a little too much, didn’t you?” Chiaki, again, just groaned in response. The aftereffects always did hit her faster then most.

“She was rather fond of those delightful vodka-soft drink hybrids.” She mused, Chiaki shaking her head as she lent on the window. “You consumed, what, seven of them?” Hajime put a hand to his face.

“Debuffs suck.” She groaned, Hajime holding in a laugh as he rubbed her back.

“You only do this once a year or so, but when you go hard, you really paint the town red.” He sighed, knowing tomorrow was going to be tough for her. And, by extension, for him.

“Peko’ll be glad you guys had such a great fucking time.” Fuyuhiko laughed, nearing the apartment building. “Seriously, she was almost as excited for the party as the wedding itself.”

“At least she didn’t seem too tired after all that.” Hajime mused, Fuyuhiko laughing.

“That girl is gonna crash as soon as she and Mikan get home. She doesn’t’ want anyone, except maybe Mikan, see her when she’s wiped. Though I bet Mikan we’ll be more a little disappointed…” He grinned to himself, Hajime rolling his eyes as he shook his head. How mature.   
The rest of the car ride passed in relative silence. Chiaki was still in a pretty bad state, but Hajime gentle backrubs and Sonia’s soothing words were enough to get her to the front of the building.

“I’m… o-oh, I think…” Chiaki gasped, stumbling out of the car. She coughed loudly, a tell-tale sign of what was coming next. He didn’t quite want to get fined for his partner throwing up on the payment, so he quickly threw a desperate glance to Sonia.

“Take her up, help her get into the shower and, uh, whatever else needs to be done.”

“You got it, Hajime.” Sonia said, with far, far too much enthusiasm. She took one of Chiaki’s arms, gently holding her up. “Come on, let’s go in.” Chiaki just kind of groaned, not saying anything.

“I’ll just say bye to Fuyuhiko.” Hajime told Sonia and Gundham. After saying their own farewells to the heir to the yakuza, they both began to assist Chiaki into the apartment building.

“We shall convene once more before the god the sky spirits us home.” Gundham laughed, taking Chiaki’s other arm to hold her a bit steadier.” Fuyuhiko flashed his winning smile, giving Gundham a thumbs-up.

“Certainly.” Sonia echoed. “We must make the most of these wondrous circumstances.” And with some final goodbyes, the three disappeared into the building, leaving Hajime and Fuyuhiko alone.

“It was good seeing everyone together, again.” Fuyuhiko mused. “Haven’t had that since the last day at school. Fucking wild, that.” Hajime chuckled, nodding.

“Sometimes I forget how much I miss them. Took a lot to actually head home, when it came to goodbyes.” He sighed.

“Well, chin up, dumbass. If everyone goes to plan, you’ll get them all together next year.” Hajime frowned, looking at his best friend confused. Fuyuhiko sighed, patting his back a bit. “Seriously, man? Forgetting you’re gonna fucking propose to Chiaki?” Hajime snickered a little.

“How could I fucking forget?” He replied, stretching his arms idly. “It’s all that’s in my head recently. But on that topic, I never got the chance to ask, really.” He continued, looking up at the cold sky. “How’s it feels, seeing your sister tie the knot?” He expected some witty remark, some out-of-pace expletive, but instead-

“I fucking balled my eyes out, man. Seeing my family up there – both of them – really starting their life together… It really hit me, man. Made me think about if that’ll be me, up there. Being the leader of the Family, and all that, makes things a little different, but still.” Fuyuhiko shrugged, starting to climb into the car. Hajime shuffled on the spot a little, Fuyuhiko’s comments on marriage raising an old question. He just hoped it didn’t make things weird.

“Fuyuhiko?” Hajime murmured, his friend glancing back, half in the car, raising his eyebrows, curious. “Back in school, around then – did you have a thing for me?” Surprise crossed Fuyuhiko’s face, but it looked like he’d expected this question for a long, long time.

“Yeah. Third year, then a couple years after that.” He sighed, leaning on the car door. “Never anything serious, but I’m… well, more inclined towards dudes, and you’re the only halfway decent person I talked to in that madhouse of a school.” Hajime opened his mouth and closed it again, not sure how to feel about the answer now that he knew it.

“Thanks, I guess?” He did genuinely feel flattered, but it felt a little odd to know his best friend had feelings for him, especially considering, well, Chiaki.

“Don’t worry, man.” Fuyuhiko laughed, shaking his head. “I moved on a few years ago. Haven’t found someone, but… I knew when my ass was beat. You two were perfect together, and I knew.” Hajime couldn’t help but grin, then.

“Well, I’ll set you up with someone then. Sure, I know some eligible bachelors.” Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes.

“Men from _your_ taste. Fuck that.” The best friends laughed together for a few moments, until finally Fuyuhiko properly got into the car, winding down his window. “See ya around, Hajime. Though, by the way…” He smirked, leaning on the windowsill. “Next wedding, I bawl my eyes out at… Make it yours, okay?” Hajime couldn’t help but genuinely smile, wordlessly nodding. He really was blessed to have a friend as good as Fuyuhiko on his side. He was an asshole, a smartass, and knew exactly how to break your legs – but Hajime knew he had his back until they died.

“Yeah.” Hajime finally said, nodding. “I’ll make you cry like you’ve never cried before.” Fuyuhiko’s smirk widened into a grin.

“Counting on it. Night, man.” And then his window went back up, and he drove away into the night. Still delighted, Hajime turned on his heel and made his way into the apartment, whistling quietly to himself. He was exhausted, worn out physically and socially, but he’d had one of his best days in years. Worth the exhaustion, worth dealing with a wasted girlfriend. Hell – all it’d done was make him even more excited for the wedding he dreamed of, that was closer and brighter with each passing day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> This... was a long one. Bringing together the majority of SDR2's cast was a bit trickier and absolutely padded this chapter out a bit more then I meant it to be - plus fleshing out how they'd be so many years after graduating was pretty tough too! But I hope you enjoyed, and next chapter we'll be returning to a bit of a smaller focus.


	8. Chapter 8

The Hinata-Nanami household was rarely a loud place – the young couple weren’t particularly fond of loud places (ironic, considering their friend groups). But despite that, there was always something going on – Hajime watching a movie, Chiaki pretty much always (besides when she needed to work) playing _something_ , and they usually were chatting the entire time they were together. Tonight, was different. Tonight, and the last fortnight or so. Honestly, the silence made Hajime more tense then any overbearing noise could.

It was early December, and tomorrow, Chiaki’s game studio was releasing their newest game, Journey’s End, a tactical strategy game that mixed in RPG combat. Chiaki served as assistant producer on the game overall but held a dual role as the lead designer on the game’s battle system – arguably it’s most critical feature. Development had hit a fever pitch; the game physically being completed only a week ago. Whilst things had stayed pretty chill on Hajime’s side of work, Chiaki had been run ragged, coming home most nights exhausted from meetings and other such things, perfectly content to eat easy dinners, and relax on the couch playing video games, head in her love’s lap. Even after so many years, Hajime still felt he wasn’t that great at supporting such a hard worker, so he went the extra mile making her comfy at night. He made dinner, cleaned up around the house on his days off, and did whatever other little things she might need – ranging from grabbing a blanket, but not limited to literally carrying her to their bed. Even if she was exhausted most of her time at their home, Chiaki was delighted with the extra attention. Tonight, Chiaki was home a little later today, covered in snow, her special hoodie pulled up over her hair. A few days ago, she’d come home in a similar state, and Hajime had teased her by calling her his snow angel – she’d just got bright red and called him lame, trying to hide the bashful smile on her face.

Overall, he’d been having a fantastic time playing Journey’s End in the last fortnight. It taken _months_ for him to convince Chiaki to let him play the early, practically complete version, and she’d only relented right before release. It’d become routine for him, the last two weeks, sitting down for an hour or two to focus on beating it before launch. Besides, playing video games in the chilly December weather, coupled with the heating on and a blanket or two – or more frequently, Chiaki in his lap – made for a positively divine gaming set-up. The game was well-written, with fantastic voice acting and eye-catching, anime-styled designs. But the battle-system was the star of the show, a shining high point that was highlighted by having its designer in his lap during every session. Every now then, her cheeks flush from embarrassment, she’d point out some little feature or gimmick he’d missed, and Hajime would just grin, ruffle her hair and tell her how proud he was of her, making her pout in the cutest way possible.   
Tonight, as usual, they had their normal routine, Hajime playing Journey’s End on the main TV, whilst Chiaki was playing away on her Switch, and later something on her phone. She seemed a little more downcast then usual, though Hajime chalked it up to the stress of reviews being about to be released for Journey’s End, considering it was out in the next week. She had her hoodie up then entire time, too, something which was a huge red flag in Hajime’s mind, but again, he chalked it up to anxiety. He’d give her some time, and she’d probably be okay. The tension from the quiet was quite as bad as he wrapped up his playthrough on Journey’s End, mostly because he was just watching cutscenes leading to the ending, rather then actually playing that much tonight. Even Chiaki stopped doing whatever on her phone, silently watching the ending cutscenes with her partner, seemingly in disbelief it was _her_ studio’s game, right there in their home. A dream come true. What was more amazing was the fact she was still excited considering she’d probably seen this out a thousand times in game development.

“Having my partner in the credits to a major game…” Hajime sighed, resting his hand on her belly. “That’s… that’s something special.” She smiled a bit at him, looking genuinely happy seeing her name up there, but she far too quickly looked back down at her phone. For a bit longer, Hajime talked about what he thought of the ending, the unique final battle against the Violet Pretender, the fates of the main characters, and the intricate final relationship endings. He could tell she was taking it all in, genuinely listening, but she only really answered in one or two words, not seeming interested in keeping the conversation going.

That… was a little concerning. Sure, her anxiety was off the charts when he played her game, but usually she relaxed once he was done, usually with absolute delight when he talked about what he liked, or even what he found issue with. She loved his constructive criticism, and it made his heart ache knowing she valued his opinions so much. Especially when his reception turned to the battle system, where he genuinely was happy to say not only how much he loved it, but give feedback on the one or two minute points he felt could be tweaked in his opinion.  
But here she’d barely reacted at all, which was worrying considering he’d actually finished it this session. The credits done, Hajime put the Joycons on the table, he wrapped his arms around his partner, frowning as he felt the little tremors that were sending her shaking. “You okay?” He murmured quietly. She looked up at him, her pale eyes filled with anxiety and conflict. She just shrugged, snuggling against him quietly. Had something happened at work? They’d been more then a few times an incident at the studio had brought her home to him in a funk. Chiaki was good at tackling conflict that involved Hajime, or them both as a couple, but when it came to personal issues, she still had a habit of locking her mind up a bit. Rubbing her arm, he rested his cheek against her head, feeling her relax further against him. “We, uh, don’t have to talk, if you’re not in the mood, but-“  
She wriggled a bit in his arms, prompting him that she wanted to sit up next to him. Doing that, she finally pulled her special hood down, shaking her hair a bit as she did. It’d gotten a little longer in the past few months, dripping over her shoulder a bit. For years she’d kept it the same length as when she was in high school but being so busy at work, she hadn’t had time to get it cut. It was a cute look, anyway, something a bit different that Hajime appreciated. Looking at her feet for a good minute, Chiaki forced herself to look up at her partner, Hajime frowning a bit as he saw the mixed emotions on her face.

“The, um, early reviews for Journey’s End came out.” She murmured quietly. Hajime nodded, not interrupting. He’d wanted to go into Chiaki’s game as blind as possible, so he’d read literally nothing about how it played, looked, or how it was reviewing, all to foster his first impressions for his partner. “They’re… really, really good actually.” She breathed out, her body tensing against him.

“Well, that’s fantastic!” Hajime told her, rubbing her arm again supportingly.

“T-That’s not what’s got me like this…” She replied, resting her head on his shoulder, Hajime properly wrapping his arms around her. “A lot of the reviews singled out the battle system as the best feature of the game – one called it a ‘paradigm shift’ for the genre overall. B-Basically, they loved it, and u-um, my name came up a lot in the reviews. T-They said I’m one of the big up-and comers in the game indu- “She didn’t even get to finish; Hajime practically scooped her up into his arms, depositing her so she was sitting in her lap. Hajime hugged her so hard she squeaked, despite whatever was going on in her head, his love couldn’t help but smile, even if it was a little one.

“Chiaki, that’s amazing! I knew the battle system was something special but getting singled out in all those reviews!?” He beamed harder than maybe ever before. “I’m so proud of you!”

“T-Thanks…” She murmured, giggling a bit to herself as he lavished her a short while, giving her more then a couple kisses on the cheek. He held her there, in his lap, for a long while, holding her tightly, the love practically flowing of him.

“I love you, and your stupid amount of optimism.” She sighed, turning her head for a kiss. Hajime smiled.

“Well, why wouldn’t I be optimistic? I’m in love with _acclaimed_ game developer Chiaki Nanami.” He watched as she squirmed in his lap a bit, obviously embarrassed by his praise, but after a short while he relented, letting her relax against him in his arms. One of the key things he’d learnt in his schooling was how to read someone’s body language – but he didn’t need any of that to read Chiaki. He could see the pride on her face that she really had done a good job on Journey’s End, and she _was_ happy that he was so proud of her. But there was something else lurking beneath the surface, something troubling her profoundly.

“It’s something else, isn’t it?” Hajime sighed, relaxing a little. She nodded, her frown getting a little more pronounced, but she didn’t wriggle out of his lap, content with just leaning against his shoulder, safe and secure.

“The, um, main thing is, well… like I said, the studio’s been saying that want me in a lead producer role in the future, but, well, with all the positive reviews Journey’s End got, they, um, want me to the director on the next game the studio puts out.” She seemed to tense up again, screwing her eyes closed, as if she was expecting Hajime to assail her with more praise and congratulations. Hajime studied her face for a few moments, feeling the tremors in her body, the unease practically emanating off her. Hajime let out a sigh, running a hand through her soft hair.

“That’s a big responsibility, isn’t it?” Hajime murmured quietly. He still didn’t really understand the intricacies of game development, but he understood that running the show on a game would be a monumental task. Chiaki nodded against him. “You’re scared, aren’t you?” Hajime made sure there was no disappointment, no frustration. He just had to be there for her.

“I’m… really scared about it, honestly.” She admitted, clutching him tightly. “I-I love where I am right now, a-and getting my class promoted s-so quickly, it feels too much, too fast. I don’t think my stats are high enough for this.” She breathed in and out, rapidly, almost on the verge of hyperventilating. “Everyone on the team thinks I’m ready, but I’m so much younger than everyone else, so much more inexperienced, a-and…” Hajime sighed a bit, still stroking her hair gently. Now _that_ was one thing he understood. He’d entered the workforce three years after Chiaki, but he dived headfirst into the workplace politics of the school he’d worked. It had taken the better part of a year to fit in, to not be seen as the young, naive counsellor who wasn’t worth the time spent helping. It had been hard to adjust, and if it wasn’t for Chiaki, he may have not at all.

“You’ve said how much the team likes you, how well you do when you all go out for lunch, or whatever.” He murmured, feeling her shift against him a bit. Her breathing didn’t slow down, which was a bit worrying. “And considering you were too anxious to even talk to them at first, I think that’s a pretty good improvement.” She made a noise, almost sounding like she agreed with him, but she followed it up with a sigh.

“I know they like me. But it’s different when you’re in charge. A lot of people in the studio would kill god to be the project head on a game, and a lot of people will be bitter that one of the newest core members got the role.” She sniffed loudly, Hajime feeling warmth on his shoulder.

 _Oh, my poor Chiaki,_ he thought, his heart breaking a little bit. She hadn’t been this upset over work in years.

“And even if they are okay with it, how do I know they’ll even like whatever game I pitch? I’m good at developing systems, ideas, not an entire game. What could I bring to the ideas table that hasn’t been done a thousand times already?” Hajime opened his mouth to say some trite words of comfort, even when he didn’t know what to say. After all, how could he? This was a unique problem in a unique industry he barely understood. And then a memory awoke in his brain.

The two of them, tucked up in bed, the windows shuttered, the room dark despite it being the afternoon. The power was out, the window and rain howling at a fever pitch, the rooms shaking from the sheer force of the typhoon. He’d been holding her close, a comforting smile on his face as he watched her talk, and talk, and talk, her beautiful features alive with joy, with passion and excitement, not only about her subject, but that her boyfriend, too, was so interested and excited in her ideas.

“Do you remember that day back in school, in the middle of winter, when the typhoon hit, the power went out and we had nothing to do inside once all your handhelds died?” Hajime told her, stroking her hair. She nodded against him, not saying anything. “I remember, we were just lying on the bed, sitting in the darkness, kissing for a bit and then… well.” He laughed a little, feeling Chiaki smile into his shoulder. That had probably been a weird place for their first time together, but it had been one of a kind, nothing but themselves in the room, the sounds of rain and wind fading away to nothing, until it was just them, and nothing else. “A-Anyway.” Hajime continued, embarrassed. “We lay there, after all that, trying to think of things to say, you started to tell me about what your dream game was. You talked on, and on, about what it was like, how it played, what it looked like. There were such specific ideas, ideas I’d never heard of being in video games, and you had a level of passion, and love for these ideas that it really made fall in love with you again.” Extracting her out of his shoulder, he sat her up a bit, holding her cheeks with his hands, their gazes fixed on one another. Her breathing had stabilized a little, her cheeks the lightest shade of pink.

“I, um.” She murmured, eyes darting around awkwardly. “I remember the sex, but I forgot I ranted so much about those ideas, um…” Hajime felt his face burn a little more but kept going with his point.

“I’d never call something with so much passion a rant, Chiaki.” Hajime said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “I’d never heard anything like it, it was just…” He shook his head, unable to put the feeling into words. “It felt like you were born to make that game.” He felt her sharp intake of breath, as she sat up straight letting of him. Getting to her feet, she looked down at Hajime, something new consuming her. “Chiaki?”

“Just a sec.” She murmured. She was only gone a minute, dashing into their room; he could hear her shuffling around in some drawers. In a moment she was back, holding something in her arms tightly. It was a small green, normal exercise book Hajime had never seen. She brandished it at him, like it was toxic.

“I bequeath you my drop.” She murmured, sitting down next to him after she handed it over, wrapping her arms around knees, tucked to her chest. Wordlessly, Hajime took the book, flicking it open. The first page, written in bold letters, was **RPG PROJECT**. Glancing at his partner, Hajime raised his eyebrows.

“I’ve been grinding away at that for years.” She said quietly, watching his face as he flicked through the book. Her dream game, just as she’d said all those years ago, was a fantasy-based RPG, though calling it an RPG was under-selling. In fact, calling it, well, anything was underselling it. It was a blend of so many genres, so many concepts that tying to down to one, two, or even three genres were unfair. Role-playing game play, turn-action hybrid mechanics, dungeon crawling, relationship systems, it had everything Chiaki liked in a game, blended into a truly unique form Hajime had never seem – though elements akin to them had popped up in Journey’s End.

“This is incredible.” He said softly, in awe of the sheer amount of detail. “I was amazed at what you’d planned when you first told me back in school, but this…” He shook his head, blown away.

“You know what my brain is like.” She murmured, smiling a bit at his glee. “If I focus on something, I physically can’t stop. I came up with the basic idea when I was twelve, playing an old Final Fantasy, and its kind of just grew out of my brain for the last decade and a half. But it’s just silly, it’s not something the brass would like…” She trailed off slowly as he read.

“This is just…” He shook his head, almost overwhelmed by how much this book covered. Character designs, battle systems, aesthetics, story beats, monster designs; everything had been accounted for, in handwriting that was of massively different quality, written across so many years. The drawings were charmingly rough; Chiaki was not well known as artist. Near the back of the book, he found an odd little scribble of two seemingly scrapped character ideas – a large, bare and large-chested berserker-esque character who Hajime recognised in the mirror, and a shorter, spaced-out looking mage in a cat-like mage outfit who reminded him of _someone_ , smiling as he eyes flicked to his awaiting partner.

“What do you think?” Chiaki said softly, looking away, down at her legs as he closed the book.

“What do I think?” Hajime sighed, leaning back. “I don’t really get excited over game that’s don’t exist yet; I normally need something… tangible to really get invested in. This, however.” He declared, brandishing the book. “Is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever seen.” Her eyes lit up again, full of a joy he’d only seen on that windy day so many years ago.

“R-Really?” She whispered, almost afraid to hear it. “And you think the studio will like the idea?”

“Really. Chiaki, games are your passion – your life! You’ve worked so hard, during school, at your job, even here at home, inching towards the dream in _this_.” He said softly, handing her book back. “That girl I lay in bed with for hours, expressing her love for her dream, I remember her being scared of actually executing it, too. You said no one would want to play something so complex, so strange, with such weird mechanics. You were afraid you’d never be in a position to even try.” Reaching out, he slipped an arm around her middle, drawing her close. “I told that girl then, just as I’ll tell her now. I want to see your dream come to life. Even if it doesn’t go the way you think, even if I’m the only one, even if that wish is selfish. Chiaki…” His voice went quieter, watching her lip quiver as she moved closer to him, her arms wrapping around him, needing to be held close. “If you want things to stay the same, I think your bosses will be fine. Someone else will step up. But I know what you’re capable of – hell, I just played one of my favourite games of the year, right here. A game you poured years into your life designing an _acclaimed_ battle system for. If that’s not proof of your ability, I don’t know what is!” He brandished his free hand towards the still-on TV, still displaying the _“Thank you for playing our game!”_ message.

“Hajime, I- “She tried to get the words out, but she just shook her head, her emotions running high. Damnit, now Hajime felt like he was going to cry. “I just…” He had to keep going.

“It’s okay. I just want you to know, Chiaki, that I think you should go for this job. You were the one, all those years ago, who set me down the path to be a counsellor. So now it’s my turn. You could create the game you always wanted, the game _only_ you can make.” He stroked her cheek, watching as his partner of so many years fought with her unsteady mind. “And more than anything, I want to play the perfect game, created by the perfect developer, alongside my perfect… partner.” The last word came awkwardly, quickly replacing what he was _going_ to say. Well, he’d assumed he’d have proposed to her by the time her game was out – but he didn’t want to ruin his surprise.

And it was so silly that even thinking about calling Chiaki his _wife_ sent him silly.

“Okay.” She said quietly into his shoulder. “Okay. Okay.” She said again, and again. Pulling back a bit, Hajime looked into Chiaki’s eyes as looked up, seeing a couple of wet tears dripping down her cheeks. “It’s time to level up, then.” She whispered, leaning forward to kiss him gently. Hajime closed his eyes, feeling himself being pushed onto his back, Chiaki crawling on top of him, never breaking the kiss. He felt her hands running up and down his arms, an incredible amount of heat radiating from her for whatever reason despite the freezing cold. More tears dripped down her cheeks, onto _his_ cheeks, making him wriggle a lit bit.   
Finally breaking away from his lips, Chiaki smiled sweetly, a few more happy tears dripping on Hajime’s cheeks as she lent over him. “I’m scared of failing my dream, but I have to buff myself with Brave and try in the first place.” Hajime smile sprang wide, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her closely on top of him.

“That’s all I want for you, Chiaki. I’m so proud of what you’ve done – I just want you to go far with your dream.” She was quiet for a bit longer, watching him closely, tension and conflict still roiling across her features. God, she was still so cute like this, Hajime thought, hoping he wasn’t looking weird. “I want to see your game, so badly.”

“I _know_ I deserve this. I _know_ I’ve worked so hard. It’s just… it’s hard having a fucking _stupid_ neurodivergent brain, always hassling me. I see how much you liked Journey’s End, and I want to cry tears of joy. And thinking of you, of my friends, playing the game I’ve always dreamt of…” Sniffling loudly, wiping her face, she looked him straight in the eyes, full of defiance. “Like I said. It’s time I level up.” Hajime just beamed, his own eyes growing wet, holding her close against him. God, she’d matured so much since starting work – but she’d always be the meek, weird Chiaki he’d fallen for. Like he’d have her any other way.

“I love you.” Hajime whispered, brushing some hair out of her face. Chiaki smiled sweetly, resting her forehead against his, their noises barely touching.

“I love you so, Hajime.” She replied. “More than… more than I could manage to say.” He smiled again, leaning up to kiss her gently.

“And again, I’m so proud of what you’ve accomplished – and what you’re going to accomplish.” And then, leaning in a bit closer, Hajime smiled a very different smile. “And if you’re in the mood, I’ve got just the reward for it.” He saw her eyes go big with understanding, her cheeks going from an exhausted red to an embarrassed pink. She pouted, avoiding his gaze for a minute.

“Geez, Hajime.” She sighed, getting up off of him. “You sure know how to ruin the mood, you horny gamer.” Hajime, still on his back, spluttered in surprise from that jab. Well, he thought to himself. At least the cloud had passed.

“Can’t change who I am I suppose.” He sighed, also sitting up, making Chiaki begin to giggle, which quickly advanced into full-blown laughter, infectiously spreading to her partner. And then he was off, too, and they sat there on the couch, laughing hysterically, for what felt like a long, long time, any trace of the tense atmosphere blown away. Stretching her arms, Chiaki yawned loudly.

“I’ve got work on Monday, so I’ll tell the Big Bads then.” Chiaki said, rubbing her face vigorously. “I think they expect me to accept, anyway, so it’s only a formality thing. Still, they'll probably grill me on details.”

“Ugh,You’re too good at talking, it’s not fair.” Chiaki said flatly, drying her eyes. “All I get is an encyclopedia knowledge of the development of the Kirby franchise.” Hajime snickered, slipping an arm around her shoulder again.

“I wish I had that.” He replied. “And don’t be stupid, you’ve got way more than that.” He grinned, Chiaki smiling at her feet.

“You’re right, I know the growth rates of every Fire Emblem character, too.” She laughed, Hajime staring at her in astonishment.

“Now _that’s_ the kind of info I need!” He jested. “If I knew all that kind of stuff, I could really connect with the kids at work!” Chiaki pouted again, gently pushing him.

“You’re a jerk.” She laughed, making _him_ pout, that time.

“I’m not a jerk, I’m a _gamer_.” He laughed, feeling the silly mood overwhelming him. “Which makes you a _gamer_ too.” Chiaki put a hand to her mouth, looking horrified as he got to his feet.

“I got diagnosed as a gamer when I was born.” She sighed, looking sad. “They said it was terminal.”

“Terrible, just terrible.” Hajime yawned loudly, looking at the clock. Geez, it was already past 10 – how long had they been talking? Glancing briefly at the little green book containing Chiaki’s potential masterpiece, he smiled cheekily. “Will, uh, I be able to try the game early this time, when development’s almost done?” Chiaki glanced over at him, smiling like an angel. “As in, not a week before it comes out.

“No.” She said dully, making Hajime snort with laughter a bit.

“Brutal, but fair.” He sighed, stretching his legs a bit. Man, he didn’t mind cuddling, but doing it on the couch was hell on his legs sometimes.

“You not gonna try and fight me on that, this time?” She asked, tilting her head. Hajime just shrugged.

“It’s your game, your decision.” He smiled. And besides, even tempering her anxieties enough to get herself to accept the job was enough. He wasn’t going to con her into letting him test the game early. Well, he thought, somewhat slyly. It’d be years until they had a playable version, anyway. He could always try again then. “Anyway, I’m gonna have a shower.”

“Mhm.” She nodded, wiping her eyes a little more. “I think I’ll just unwind a bit with a game before bed.” Hajime flashed her a thumbs-up, grabbing a towel from the closet.

“Something chill?” He asked. “Dark Souls? Hollow Knight? Devil May Cry?”

“Enter the Gungeon.” She said flatly, both of them laughing again.

“Ah, nothing but the most relaxing for my one and only.” He laughed, disappearing into the bathroom.

* * *

She didn’t care about Hajime’s jokes – Enter the Gungeon was perfect to chill out and relax to at the end of a long, hard, and in this case, emotional day. A rather large Kirby plush sat in her lap – the perfect size to wrap her arms around whilst she played, a little relaxing tool she’d used for the better part of a decade.  
Honestly, she wasn’t even playing Gungeon that well – her mind was abuzz with her job offer, Hajime’s words of love and wisdom, and most of all, the little box she’d purchased on the way home from work, still sitting in her special jacket’s pocket. Pausing between areas, Chiaki put down her Joycons, jostling the little box in her hand, still in the pocket. It’d be so easy to surprise him like this, just as he came out from the shower. After everything he’d said to her, encouraging her to push past her stupid, stupid brain’s anxieties, it just felt natural to give something back. She was always like that, never just letting Hajime do things for her; she always felt like she needed to pay it back. She flopped her head back, groaning quietly to herself. They didn’t rely on each other too much for coping, or at least she hoped they didn’t, but Chiaki felt she still didn’t know how to properly behave in a relationship – sometimes she felt she wouldn’t ever really know.

“Why is he so good to me!?” She sighed, rubbing her face. She was so excited about his New Year’s surprise party, and the… still, rather terrifying proposal that came with it, but still, her brain kept peppering her with thoughts of proposing _here and now_. Honestly, she didn’t know what terrified her more at this point; proposing to Hajime or delivering a pitch of her dream game to the bosses.

Well, thanks to Hajime, she had a good counter to the vitriolic arguments her brain had against pursuing her dream. Suddenly, her phone vibrated loudly, a message appearing on the screen.

**Mikan Tsumiki**

_Chiaki, I’ve got wonderful news!_

**Chiaki Nanami**

_hey hey, what is it mikan?_

**Mikan Tsumiki**

_Peko just got home, she spoke to the owner of that skyscraper we were talking about holding Hajime’s party at, she says it can go ahead!_

Delight exploded through Chiaki’s chest, her hand still playing with the box in her pocket. Well, if that’s going ahead, at least it’ll nip in the bud her silly idea. She could wait a few more weeks. A few more weeks to get engaged…

Terrifying.

**Chiaki Nanami**

_pog, that’s brilliant. thanks for letting me know mikan_

**Mikan Tsumiki**

_That’s okay, Chiaki! Peko would’ve called you herself, but she was so tired from work she practically fell asleep in my lap! Well, she actually did, since I would’ve called you if she wasn’t actually asleep in my lap right now._

Chiaki giggled to herself, picturing Peko napping quietly in Mikan’s lap. Peko had mellowed out considerably since being with Mikan, but she _never_ let anyone else see such a tender moment.

**Mikan Tsumiki**

_Peko also said the staff at the café on the roof level can cater for the party as well, so we don’t have to bring food or anything. I’m so excited!!!!!!!_

**Chiaki Nanami**

_I’m terrified honestly, but i am excited. having everyone there with us will really buff me up as well_

**Mikan Tsumiki**

_I’m going to get Peko to bed, but I’ll get her to give you a call tomorrow and give you all the details, okay? Good night Chiaki! :^) <3_

“You want the shower?” Smiling to herself as Chiaki messaged goodnight back, she looked up as Hajime called out from the bathroom door.

“Nah, I’ll just have a shower in the…” He never did it on purpose, but it always worked on her. Normal people got dressed after having a shower, but Hajime just _had_ to saunter out of the shower, wearing only a towel (wearing being a very generous term, considering how low it hung.), with the most clueless expression on his face possible. He really wasn’t aware of how good-looking he was. As she tried to reboot her brain, phone still in hand, Hajime walked over, concerned.

The stupid man hadn’t even dried himself properly yet, drops of water still dripping over his copious chest and somewhat defined stomach. He had to do so little to stay in shape, it was kind of annoying. The fact that he had to do _nothing_ to look incredible her was even more vaguely annoying.

“Everything all right on the phone? You looked kind of stressed.” He murmured, squatting down next to her. Eyes very much not on his eyes, she shook her head. She wasn’t really in the mood when he’d offered her a _reward_ before, but, being like this in front of her, on purpose or not, made Chiaki wonder, as she’d wondered the hundred times this had happened, if she was far too easy when it came to her beloved.

“It’s… it’s, ah, not important. Just some plans with Peko and Mikan, do you, um, have a quest for me or…?” Wow, that was probably the lamest thing she’d ever seen, but Hajime didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to think it was hilarious. At least lame jokes worked on her lame, lame man.

“Maybe not a quest, but a, um, side-activity?” He asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively, aware that he’d said something just as lame. Well, at least now seemed aware that he’d gotten her in the mood. Well, no need to break the chain.

“Let’s make it an escort mission, too, then.” She murmured holding out her arms. Grinning awkwardly, Hajime lent down to scoop her up, her legs wrapping around his middle as he slowly carried her towards their bedroom. Leaning in to kiss at his neck, holding onto him one hand, the other hand going to his waist to tug the towel away, making it drop to the ground and leave her beloved bare. He stopped suddenly, staring at her in surprise, goosebumps flaring up his skin.

“C-Chiaki!” He said, face bright red, embarrassed about being naked whilst his partner was fully clothed. She just beamed cheekily, poking her tongue out a bit.

“Sometimes escort missions need a bit of challenge to them.” She murmured. “Because the rewards are that much better.” She added as a whisper into his ear before her lips found their mark.

“O-Oh.” He muttered, picking up his pace as he carried her quickly to their bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geez, this ended up a long one too! Hope you enjoyed, it was a lot of fun to write!
> 
> And now, the stage is set for what you've all been waiting for - it's Hajime's New Year party!


	9. Chapter 9

It'd been only a months, but so much changed for Hajime and Chiaki, so quickly. For Chiaki it was in a professional sense – after Hajime's urging and showcase of his belief in her, Chiaki accepted her role as lead on the next game at her game studio, the higher-ups accepting her perhaps-too ambitious idea for her dream game. Hajime's advancements came more personally – in recent months his parents had made great strides in bridging the divide between parents and son in an attempt to more positively involve themselves in their son and future daughter-in-law's lives – though Hajime had no idea about the true reason. Honestly, Chiaki was amazed he hadn't found out about her plan at all across the last six months or so – her meeting with her parents, her conferring with Peko, Mikan and Sonia, or the ring box she'd left on the dresser for a day that he'd likely stared right at and not said a word about. It was like she was carrying out an S-Ranked mission flawlessly, but only because the target was thick as a brick.

But despite the hectic month December had been, today was New Year's Eve, and Hajime was being led through central Kyoto for something.    
  
Chiaki said it was dinner at a nice little restraunt or something, but Hajime wasn't that stupid. Having your birthday on New Year's Day usually meant something was up when someone just took you somewhere, but he wasn't going to complain. Odds were that it was a restaurant, but he knew Fuyuhiko, Mikan and Peko were all there, too, having some kind of surprise birthday dinner planned for him. They'd pulled that one on him two years ago, but he wasn't remotely upset about doing it again. That had been a long night of revelry, drinking, and celebration that remained a black hole in Hajime's memory – to this day, Chiaki still didn't reveal what the hell he did, but she seemed fit to burst out laughing whenever he asked her. They eventually came to one of the larger skyscrapers in Kyoto, Chiaki exchanging a couple of words with the reciptionst before getting a keycard that she used at the elevator, sending the two of them rocketing towards the roof.

“Fancy place.” Hajime murmured, looking around. The lobby was quite possibly the shiniest place he'd ever seen, and the elevator wasn't shabby by any stretch of the imagination – in fact, she spent some time scrutinizing his appearance, Chiaki sighing softly at his behaviour.

“Mm.” Chiaki murmured, somewhat rigidly. She was acting a little weird. For her, at least. Something was going on for his birthday, that was clear. Oh well, he knew what to expect. Fancy dinner with the Kyoto gang, probably some little thing to spice up the evening. Just as he expected.

What he didn't expect awaiting him at that near-rooftop restaurant cafe/restaurant thing was all his friends.

They were all here, again. 

“Fucking hell.” Hajime shook his head, the biggest grin marking his face as he was met with a dozen yells of variants of ‘Happy Birthday!’. “Pulling this shit for Peko and Mikan's wedding – that I get, but pulling this for my birthday? You guys have nothing better to do on New Years?” He was greeted with light hearted jeers and yells from his friend, moving forward as a group to wish their dear friend a happy birthday. Hajime couldn't remember the last time he'd felt such jubilation, or smiled so widely. Getting everyone together nearly two months ago for Peko's wedding had been one thing, but getting everyone together, again for his birthday? Madness. Gundham was the first to stride up to him, wrapping his dear friend in a surprisingly powerful and brutish hug. 

“I rejoice in your survival of another cycle, Singularity.” He cackled, Hajime sighing as he patted Gundham on his back in thanks. From there, each of his friends moved forward to wish him a happy birthday, or pull him further into the little cafe-courtyard he’d found himself brought to. Fuyuhiko and Peko had certainly been behind renting the place out, but Hajime wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d used Sonia’s name to rent out the space. Food had already been prepared - along with a  _ lot _ of booze. Hajime’s eyes glanced at his partner, worrying a bit. Oh well, she was a big girl - she knew her limits. Probably.

“Did you know?” Mahiru asked Hajime, passing him a drink as she came up to him. “I mean, you had to know something was going on for your birthday, right?” Hajime's eyes glanced over at Chiaki, giggling about something with Mikan, and felt warmth spread over his chest – and that wasn't the booze. 

“No idea.” He lied, even as it was plain on his face. Of course he knew Chiaki was planning something – not this scale, but not this. But he wasn't going to admit that. She'd know he knew, anyway.

“Good tidings, Hajime!” Sonia half-yelled as she skidded over, Mahiru gracefully bowing out in favour of the more outspoken young queen. Much like her husband, Sonia pulled Hajime into a hug that was somehow even more  _ rough _ than Gundham. “I’m  _ so _ glad to see you all again so soon!”

“How the hell did you two get out of the country?” Hajime asked in disbelief. “Are they really okay with the Queen and her consort just running off whenever they feel like it?”

“You'd be surprised how much wool you pull over the citizens eyes sometimes.” Sonia said in a far, far too joyful voice. She and Gundham had done much to rectify the former's country's... colourful past, but Sonia sometimes remarked on it far too easily. “We're just taking a New Year's holiday, nothing more, though I'm set to do a New Year's message via satellite tomorrow night.”

“A-Ah.” The idea of talking to that many people made Hajime feel sick on the spot. “Where are you staying, by the way?”

“Fuyuhiko let us use one of the floors of the main Kyoto Kuzuryu holdings. You’d be surprised how secluded you are deep in yakuza territory!” She laughed, as if that  _ wasn’t _ terrifying.

“Having fun?” Hajime and Sonia glanced behind them, finding Chiaki, alcohol in hand. Oh, it was to be one of these nights, Hajime decided. “I worked hard to build you such a powerful party.”   


“Is that ‘party’ as in a birthday party, or ‘party’ as in an RPG party.” Chiaki just shrugged, unhelpfully not answering her question. Taking her in his arms, Hajime felt a smile spread to his lips. Sonia just smiled to herself and wandered off to speak to Peko. “This is incredible, Chiaki. I knew you had something planned, but this…?” He laughed, waving a hand around at all their dear friends.

“It wasn’t just me.” Chiaki said modestly, gripping his arms tightly. “Peko and Mikan helped a ton, too, but I just felt today should be a little more special.” 

“Why today specifically? 26 isn’t any kind of special number or anything?” He looked at her for an answer, but she, once again, didn’t seem to have one - her cheeks just went a little pink, her eyes drifting away. Well, no reason to make her feel uncomfortable.    
“Thank you.” He said quietly, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. “This is...” He couldn't find the right word to describe it, but he didn't really need to – the look on her face, one of absolute delight to how happy he was with her surprise, was enough. “Time to mingle.” He added, more to himself. Glancing over, he called out to Akane who had already set her sights on the food. “Akane! I've got a bet to pick with you!”

* * *

For the next three hours approaching midnight, Chiaki just tried to enjoy herself, not thinking of what was coming. She caught up with Teruteru, solicited him on the idea of baking a perfect, cake-version of Sonic, was accosted by Nidai and Akane on her rather unfit physicality, and discreetly chatted to Souda about getting a modification done to one of her new consoles. Hajime was having a great time too – though he very quickly seemed to be nursing a sore arm; Nidai later mentioned he challenged Akane to armwrestling, due to a lost bet with Fuyuhiko.

It was lovely to see all her friends again, especially so soon after Peko and Mikan's wedding, but it was hard to totally focus on them, considering what was coming. She played with the ring, hidden away in her coat's pocket, wondering what she had to say, what to do when she actually asked him. She was going to ask Sonia or Mikan what they asked when they proposed, but that just felt wrong at the end of the day – this was a dialogue option only Chiaki could find. At the very least, Hajime hadn't asked her since the start of the party why she'd been acting so off – she just assumed he thought it was because of the secret of having all their friends at his party – and not that she was about to do the scariest thing she could think of. 

Sighing to herself, Chiaki downed the glass of alcohol she had in her hand. She wasn't drinking much – not yet, at least, but she knew she'd need a little bit of an alcohol buff to go through with this. 

“Maybe another, actually.” She thought to herself as poured herself another drink, resolving to not make this a habit.

Hajime was similarly being accosted for much of the night, though he seemed much more at home with his friends then he was at Peko's wedding, considering the lack of yakuza goons to scare him. He spent a lot of time up a set of stairs, on a viewing platform that gave an incredible view of the Kyoto skyscape below. Whilst chatting with Teruteru, Chiaki couldn't help but grin as he heard her partner, Gundham and Fuyuhiko all roaring with laughter at one thing or another at the upper level. He was having fun – that was the important thing. Well, the secondarily important thing. 

Well, at least there was a lot to keep Chiaki busy until the big moment came. Teruteru had assisted in the catering for the event, and so everything there was delicious. Nidai and Akane spent a lot of time at the back, devouring as much food as they could stomach – Chiaki wasn't sure if they were competing or not. It was wonderful seeing all her friends again, especially since it hadn't been long at all since Peko and Mikan's wedding, but she just wished she was in a more focussed headspace for it.

“Chiiiakiiii~” Hiyoko's characteristic high-pitched yell shook Chiaki out of her inner battleground. The young dancer, trailed behind by Mahiru, made her way across the floor, obviously looking to stir up her up one way or another.

“Hey.” Mahiru added, smiling weakly. She looked tired – Chiaki vaguely remembered her mentioning she'd flown in from Africa yesterday after some photography venture.

“You guys having a good time?” Chiaki asked, trying her best to smile despite the oncoming event.

“Mm. It’s fun, but not as frantic as Sonia’s wedding. Nice to just chill out a bit more without any big announcements.” Mahiru told her, Chiaki felt a pang of regret in her head. Well, she couldn’t back out of that on Mahiru’s account.

“I’ve just been messing with Souda.” Hiyoko said casually, giggling a bit. “Just like old times, really.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Chiaki said honestly. “How have things been for you guys? I didn’t really get a chance to ask at the wedding.” 

“It’s been good. Tiring, but Africa was really-”

“We’ve been great. Lovely, just divine. How have you and Hajime been?” Hiyoko immediately answered, cutting off Mahiru - it’d been a while since Chiaki had endured her gossipy questions. “Any thoughts of… y’know, moving up?” Chiaki cocked her head, not following. She didn’t mean…? Chiaki wished she was better at dialogue trees, there were just so many options that could lead to bad ends -  _ especially _ with Hiyoko.

“Hiyoko!” Mahiru chided her. “Don’t be rude!” Her partner outright ignored her, zeroing back in on Chiaki. “I’ll just… I’ll tell you about Africa later, Chiaki. I’ve got some photos, anyway.” She sighed.

“So, what I’m trying to ask is...” Hiyoko murmured, grinning in that way only she could. “Why haven't you guys tied the knot after nearly ten years? Saving it for a special moment?”

“Hiyoko!” Mahiru sighed again, before realising the double meaning. “We've been dating nearly that long, anyway!”

Chiaki felt ice drop down her chest, for once not caused by chewing on her drink's ice, as was her habit. This was a bad end, right? Somehow she managed to hold a straight (for her) face, calmly sipping her drink. 

"I-It'll happen.” She said, somewhat quietly. “We're very happy together, and doing our two-man party thing's been lovely for the last few years. But...” That last word slipped out of her mouth, unbidden. Hiyoko and Mahiru leant in, digging for more gossip.

“But...?” They both replied in unison, leaning in ever so slightly. Honestly, Chiaki wanted to spill the beans. She liked a little bit of gossip, now and then, and she'd felt the same when she'd been convinced Peko and Mikan were about to get engaged. But she wanted to keep this a secret, beyond the others she'd already told, but at the same time...

Chiaki opened her mouth to actually tell them, but then, out of the corner of her eye, saw Fuyuhoko and Gundham chatting a bit away from the viewing platform Hajime was at the moment. He was free for the first time that night, and it was getting close to midnight. She wanted to do this before midnight, start the new year in a new state then she left it. Her eyes darted back to Mahiru and Hiyoko, still desperate for the news.

“Sorry, I should chat with Hajime for a bit.” Mahiru literally groaned, saddened about her sudden retreat, but it was Hiyoko who shook her head, waving her off. 

“It's fine, Chiaki, it's his party and you're his girlfriend.” She sighed to herself, leaning against her own partner lightly. “If only someone would spoil me as much as Local Bland Man is spoiled...” Mahiru sighed, chiding Hiyoko, even as she wrapped an arm around her.

“The lengths I went to celebrate your birthday up in Hokkaido last year...” Mahiru grumbled, drawing a giggle out of her partner. She'd gotten better over the years, but it seemed the banter-ness was at least a little inherent to Hiyoko. Finding her escape route, Chiaki wandered towards the stairs to the viewing platform as Fuyuhiko and Gundham made their way down. As they passed each other, Peko tapped her back, grinning as she walked past.

“Game time, Chiaki.” She murmured quietly, Chiaki's nerves – and her uncontrollable smile – trending ever so slightly higher as she reached the top of the stairs, below another set of stairs that led to the viewing platform. A sole individual stood overlooking Kyoto, making Chiaki pause for a second.

For a second, she thought of Hajime, of what came next, as her 'final boss'. Then she realised how stupid that sounded – that implied what was happening right here was the end of her journey. No... No, if anything, this was a mid-boss, at best. Quietly, Chiaki stepped up beside Hajime, the altitude-fueled winds masking her approach, even as she stood beside her partner of so many years.

The wind cut through her like a knife, making Chiaki pull her coat a little tighter against herself. The little motion was enough to catch her partner's eyes, Hajime's eyes lighting up at seeing her.

“Hey.” He murmured, tapping the railing for her to join him.

“Hey hey.” She replied, leaning on the bar next to him.

“Cold?” He asked, inclining his head to the goosebumps coating her neck. Chiaki laughed a little, pulling the coat again around herself. She could've just done the front of it up, but with how little she got to wear such nice clothes, it felt like a waste.

“A little.” She admitted. “The cold resistance stats on this gear aren't that great, to be honest.” She added. As if in response, Hajime wrapped an arm tightly around her back and arm, holding her close against him. Chiaki squeaked a little in surprise, but quickly settled, leaning against him gently.

“I'll try and buff your stats, then.” Hajime said, frowning to himself as he quickly realised how lame that sounded. Chiaki giggled a bit, and then they settled into an easy silence, watching the sights of Kyoto's cityscape stretch out below them. It was beautiful, a scene as beautiful and mesmerising as any game's end screen. Looking at her partner's face, Chiaki felt her cheeks grow warmer. Whilst she'd stayed pretty much the same in the years since leaving Hope's Peak (the last year's hair growth being really her only real change), Hajime really had matured in a lot of subtle, almost contradictory ways. His face had grown a bit harder, yet still had all the vestiges of the soft, warm young man she'd fallen for. He felt taller, stronger, wider than the tender, anxious student who had no path in life... but he was still kind, still tender, charming, all the things that had drawn her in nearly a decade ago. The trademarks of the one she truly loved. 

Of course, there also was the stubble that reminded her of the time four years ago when he tried to grow a beard – he really had tried, but it just hadn't worked. He'd been embarrassed over it for a month. Trying not to laugh, Chiaki quickly thought of something to talk about.

"Nine years, huh.” Chiaki said quietly, Hajime glancing over at her in mild confusion. “Since we started dating?” Realisation dawned on his face, making Hajime's face flush with embarrassment.

“I didn't, uh, forget, y'know.” He said quickly, as if he was sure she didn't believe him. She did, of course, believe him. “Just with everything going on, with my birthday and New Years, it just kinda...” He laughed, nervously.

“It's fine, Hajime.” She smiled, leaning a little closer against him. “With everything that's happened this year, it's easy to forget little things like that.” Hajime frowned at her, narrowing his eyes.

“It's not a little thing!” He declared, maybe a bit too loudly. “S-Sure, it did slip my mind a bit, but I never take our anniversary for granted.”

“Your earnest stat is very high, Hajime.” Chiaki said dryly, drinking in his embarrassment at that fact. He spluttered for a bit, as he always did, but soon settled down.

“But really though, nine years.” Hajime sighed, holding her tightly again. “It seemed just yesterday we were lame ass high school students, almost too scared to kiss in public.” Chiaki snickered to herself a bit. “What?”

“I think you were the one who was nervous about kissing in public, Hajime.” Hajime almost looked hurt at the accusation.

“I kissed you goodbye that one time after we had lunch with Sonia and Gundham, and I clearly remember you get all flustered and skittish and embarrassed.” Of course, that had happened, but Chiaki wasn't about to admit.

“Sure, sure.” She mumbled, though she saw the spark of victory in his eyes. He didn't gloat, even though she was sure he wanted to.

“It's crazy though, to think so many years have passed since this all started.” Hajime murmured again, his breath frosting before him. “Since we had that little night together, nine years ago on New Year's Day. Since we spent so much time together in school, and then bloody lived together it just feels... so much less, y'know?” He sighed again, leaning a bit against the railing, one arm still around Chiaki.

“It hasn't felt fast at all to me.” Chiaki said, ever so quietly, slipping away from his arm. Hajime, somewhat surprised, raised his eyebrows at her.

“What'dya mean?” Chiaki smiled at him, putting her hands behind her back.

“Meeting you, falling in love with you, has been a quest I've loved every single day, every encounter of. I'd never want to forget a single moment, a single second spent with you, Hajime. I love you so, after all.” Her voice had gone very quiet, as usual when she was particularly embarrassed, but Hajime just sighed again, smiling at her like the angel he was.

“I feel the same, Chiaki.” He told her softly. “It's been so much fun to grow, and level up together, at our own pace.” 

'It wasn't enough for me.' Chiaki thought to herself, her cheeks bright from the cold and the situation. Her hand was buried in her pocket, playing with the little box. It was coming. It was coming. 'I don't want to level up at this pace, not anymore.”

“Sometimes I wish we'd moved a bit faster.” Chiaki said quietly. Hajime gave her an odd look, but didn't say anything – he could tell something was on her mind. Oh, if he only knew. 

“It was easy to fall into routines, once we started dating.” Chiaki said quietly, looking out at the cityscape. She could see Hajime watching her, out of the corner of her eye, but she didn't look at him – she'd lose her nerve if she did. “We hung out, ate lunch together, spent time in my room... it felt like the rest of my life would be on that level.” Blindly, she reached out, interlacing her fingers with his. Silently, her other hand popped open the ring box, still in her pocket, the little ring between two fingers. “And then we graduated, started a new life here, in Kyoto. You had university, I had work, and then you found your job. We fell into patterns, routines, once again – not that they were bad – and I was so happy. I got to play video games, sometimes every night, with the person I fell in love with. We did all those little things, our life between between dating in school and...” She hesitated, just a moment. “I loved the pace we moved, the pace we grew together, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough, so I felt it was time to ask...”

“Ask? Chiaki, what are you...?” Hajime started to say, but Chiaki didn't give him the chance. Stepping away from him, hand buried in her coat, clutching that special little ring.

“You helped me grow, as a person. Ever since I met you, you've pushed me out of my safe little box, helped me become someone who can love myself, who feels happy with the path I've taken. And I know I've helped you level up, too – from when we first met, finding your calling in life, beginning to build a home together...” She sniffed loudly, but she didn't cry, not yet at least. “And you've made me the person I am today, the person capable of...” She sniffed again, emotion almost too much. “Capable of...” She couldn't say it, so it was time to let her actions speak where words could not. Almost roughly, yet ever so careful to not let the ring slip between her fingers, Chiaki brandished her free hand at Hajime, her love almost indecipherable through the tears.

Chiaki saw Hajime's eyes go wide, his mouth agape at what she was doing.

“D-Do you want to l-level up t-together....” She sniffed, the tears flowing faster and thicker. “Go on this quest, power up...” All these ways to say it were so silly, so her, but none of them got to the root of the matter. “Hajime...” She murmured, holding out the little silver ring in her hand. “Hajime, do you want to get married?” It felt silly, putting it in such simple, almost childish words, that she almost regretted them, wished she'd planned something, anything else.

And then the tears began to drip down Hajime's cheeks.

* * *

Hajime's brain shut down for the briefest of moments, until it forced itself through sheer emotion to keep chugging along.

He shuffled on the spot, mouth opening and closing a few times as he tried to process the question. She wanted to marry him, spend her entire life with only him. Somehow, she seemed to understand what his broken actions meant. Chiaki opened up her arms, still clutching the ring, and Hajime basically threw himself into her arms, openly sobbing as she nodded into her shoulder as hard as she could.

She wanted to marry him – the dumbest, most anxious, thickest brick of a man in the world. Chiaki wanted him, in a world full of people smarter, stronger, kinder than he was. And the fact that she wanted to be with him – for the rest of her life – truly made Hajime believe the things she said about him.

“Yes! Yes, yes, y-yes, yes, y-y-yes...” He sobbed into her shoulder, holding her as tightly and close as possible. “Chiaki, I...” He couldn't even get the words out, so he let his tears be his answer, and her own tears of her own. 

Somewhat distantly, probably due to the torrent of emotion hurtling through his brain, Hajime heard a great cheer rise up from below, mixed with shouts of surprise and a few more hysterical displays of joy. Eventually Chiaki extracted her head from his chest and shoulder, staring at him, tears still flowing fiercely. 

“R-Really?” She seemed almost terrified, or surprised, or something like that, by his answer, but slowly her features softened, realization creeping across her features. “You want...H-Hajime, I...!” Hajime just nodded, one of his hands running across her wet cheek. Shakingly, he brought her lips to his, a small, tender kiss that soon sent them giggling, even as their lips met.

“Salty.” Hajime murmured, Chiaki nodding in response with another giggle. She pressed her forehead against him, still half-sobbing.

“I've had worse.” She replied, Hajime just shaking his head in incoherence.

“I love you. I love you so much, Chiaki.” Hajime sniffed, holding her close around the middle.

“I love you more than I could ever say, Hajime.” She sniffed back, burying her face against him. “I... don't want to do anything that scary ever again.” Chiaki admitted, her breathing rather heavy.

“I don't want anything that scary done to me ever again. '' Hajime jokes, holding her even more tightly. After a few more moments, Hajime loosened his grip, letting her slide away from him as their eyes met. Hajime knew it was probably everything else happening, but he genuinely felt Chiaki had never looked more divine. Slowly, he leaned in for another kiss, but was interrupted by several playful whistles from down below. Breaking away from Chiaki, Hajime turned to the railing, glaring down at his assembled friends. It seems the news was out – likely from Peko or Mikan, who were almost certainly Chiaki's confidants in this whole situation.

“Sod off!” Hajime yelled, beaming as he did so, at his friends. All of them erupted into laughter, jokingly heckling him to come down and party. Waving them off, Hajime strode over to Chiaki.

“I guess we have our captive audience to address.” Hajime finally said, holding both her hands tightly. Honestly, he wanted this moment to last forever – just him, her, and the skyline of Kyoto. God, she was so beautiful, the lights of the skyscrapers making her still heavy tears (and his own, likely) seems like they shined like diamonds.

“Just... Just let me...” She took his hand, holding it up in front of him. Carefully, due to the cold, she slipped the silver ring over what she probably hoped was the right finger, beaming like never before, quickly looking between the ring's resting place and his face. “This sight...” She murmured. “This sight is better than any quest reward, any raid goal. This is...” She didn't finish her sentence again, just leaning up to give him a long, loving kiss that seemed to go, wonderfully, forever.

His first proper, real kiss from his fiance.

* * *

  
Apparently, once Peko was sure Chiaki actually was starting her rambling, tear-drenched proposal to Hajime, she, Sonia and Mikan had spread the news to the rest of their fans, which of course culminated in the mighty cheer when Hajime reciprocated. Chiaki was quite thankful for that support action – whilst she was beyond happy, beyond... well, there wasn't really a word for how she felt. Whatever she felt, she needed to, for lack of a better term, de-escalate the situation and just chill out a bit.

And by chill out, that actually meant get more than a little drunk to deal with the fact she goddamn proposed to Hajime.

The rest of the night passed in a wild blur of joy and happiness. Chiaki spent at least half an hour after midnight with Peko, Mikan and Sonia, leaving Hajime's side only briefly to decompress for a moment and be assaulted with questions and hugs from her dearest friends. Hajime was having a similar time of it. Fuyuhiko was giving him an innumerable amount of playful punches, going on and on about letting Chiaki get the jump on him – honestly, the young yakuza lord seemed happier then pretty much anyone else, sans the two of them, of course. At one point, all of them got together to have Mahiru set up a proper photo of first all of them together, and then a good half-dozen of just Hajime and Chiaki together, both of them progressively on the verge and then outright in tears. Mahiru assured them she’d be happy to do photography work at the actual wedding.   
Eventually things began to settle down, and much like at Peko and Mikan’s wedding, many of them found themselves just sitting down, all more then a bit worn out from the myriad of events of that night.

“So why'd you give him the ring?” Souda eventually asked Chiaki when the conversation died down, throwing back another drink. The party was beginning to settle, a small group springing up as people nursed drinks and food as the clock ticked past one. “Isn't it normal for the guy to propose?” Chiaki shrugged, gripping Hajime's hand – the ring prominently visible on it – a little more tightly.

“I don't really care about those kinds of traditions. I wanted to propose, so he gets the ring.” There really wasn't much more to it then that.

“I gotta say, it is kind of weird to be the one wearing it, cause everyone on TV has the wife wearing it, but I don't really care about that tradition either.”

“Doesn't it feel a bit sad to not get a cute ring though, Chiaki?” Mahiru asked her, Chiaki again shrugging as she finished her drink. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, a Hajime and a half shot of a disappointed look. Sure, she was drinking a little much tonight, but she'd just done something insane. She'd earnt this.

“Nah, it's not a big deal. It's cuteness stats work much better with Hajime, anyway.” Her fiance's – it still felt insane to think that – cheeks flushed pink at that comment, smiling at his feet, even as Fuyuhiko roared with laughter, at least until Peko slapped him in the back of the head.

“It's, uh.” Hajime finally said. He hadn't really said a lot since the proposal, probably due to a combination of exhaustion, inebriation, and just genuinely being overwhelmed with emotion and attention. “It was nice... being the one proposed to. I'd spent so much time thinking of how to ask Chiaki that, uh, I didn't even think of it happening to me.” Sonia made a disgustingly cute noise out of nowhere, popping up between the newly engaged couple, throwing her arms around each of their shoulders.

“You two truly are made for each other!” She squealed, Hajime recoiling slightly from the noise. “Chiaki, this truly is like that 'visual book' you bought for me – the heroine finally admitting her feelings to the monstrously buff fighter, followed by the-” Chiaki laughed loudly, cutting off Sonia before she could reveal the secrets of her accursed visual novel collection. 

“And hopefully,” Hiyoko sighed, staring directly at her partner – much to Mahiru's discomfort - “This beautiful proposal will lead to some more surprise engagements...” Souda roared with laughter as Mahiru went as red as her hair, mumbling something about talking when they got back to the hotel.

She was having so much fun. For the next while, she just watched her friends throwing playful barbs back and forth, herself and Hajime no longer the center of attention, which in it's own way was quite nice. Slowly, she rested her head on Hajime's shoulder, her new fiance glancing down at her, smiling as she got comfy.

“Tired?” He whispered, barely audible over Fuyuhiko, denying being sighted with an attractive young man. Chiaki shook her head, taking his hand tightly again.

“I'm okay. Just resting for a sec.” Her brain was all foggy from drinking a little too much, and she just felt so delightfully warm, both inside and from leaning against Hajime. Letting go of her hand, Hajime wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her tightly against him to keep her comfy. “Don't worry, I won't sleep.”

She remembered Hajime smiling at her, and then the next thing Chiaki knew, she was in someone's car, Hajime was groaning as he was talking to whoever was driving them, and Chiaki herself felt like the world was spinning upside down. 

Despite all that, Chiaki was just delighted that after nearly a decade of battles, dialogue trees and barely missed bad ends… things really had turned out pretty good.

* * *

Hajime remembered glancing at the clock as the two of them stumbled through the door, half asleep and half drunk at the same time. Nearly 3 in the morning – a little earlier than last year's party at Fuyuhiko's place, he noted with some humour. Mikan could surely bring it all out on the dance floor, he suddenly remembered. Honestly, Chiaki seemed worse then he was – she somehow seemed more wasted then when they left the party. Even as the party had gone on for another two hours, Chiaki had said she was going to have 'one more drink, for victory' about five or six times. She was still... mostly there, but she wobbled a bit when he wasn't holding her up. Hajime was mostly clear, at least, and managed to guide the both of them into the bedroom. He realised he was quite fuzzy on who brought them home in the end – probably Peko, since Fuyuhiko had been drinking, but he wasn't a hundred percent sure. He'd been chiding Chiaki, but Hajime realised he'd probably had too much, too. That'd explain the dull pain in his stomach.

“I'm fucking wreaked.” Hajime groaned, leaning against the wall as Chiaki topped onto the bed, somehow mangiang to land sitting up. “Who'd knew being engaged took such a toll on you?”

“Perhaps alcohol is the real ball and chain.” Chiaki said wistfully, making Hajime just shake his head. He just didn't understand her sometimes. “Oh, right.” Chiaki quickly added.

“What?”

“We're gonna have to tell my parents about this, too.” Chiaki groaned, tossing her socks and shoes into the corner, before working at the zip at the back of her collar.

“Maybe we can have them over again, invite my parents as well to tell them the good news.” Hajime replied, sliding off his shirt, before helping his helplessly partner unzip the back of her dress.

“Thanksh.” She murmured, the slurred word making Hajime chuckle a bit. She answered as she flopped onto the bed on her back, slowly tugging her dress down. “That's probably the easiest way to tell them – directs their questions and mental attacks away from us as they both break down.” She made it sound like a boss encounter that way. Suddenly, her face went alight with excitement. “Hajime! Do you want to go play Granblue Versus!?” It took all his self-control to not just laugh at her there and then. That was another thing that happened when Chiaki got a little wasted – she always wanted to destroy him in fighting games. It... kind of stung that she could destroy him when she was wasted, too.

“One topic at a time, Chiaki.” Hajime sighed. “We'll play in the morning.” Chiaki looked a little sad, but she continued getting undressed. “Now, onto my parents. They're not that bad.” Hajime sighed, tugging off his trousers. Sleeping in his boxer briefs would be fine, despite the cold. They had a lot of blankets, anyway, and the alcohol was keeping his body flush with heat. “Well, your parents aren't, at least – they'll probably barely react.” Chiaki snickered a bit, pulling her green dress down, leaving her in a matching – and... quite revealing, Hajime noted, blush creeping up to his already flushed cheeks – dark green underwear.

“Mom might be like that, but Dad'll cry, I'd bet a new console on it.” Having enough mind to not toss her expensive dress across the room, she very carefully laid it out on the carpet next to her, oblivious to the fact she'd tread on it in the morning once she got out of bed.

“Y-Yeah.” Hajime said, gulping a little. Chiaki looked really, really good. Even her pose was alluring, all splayed out on the sheets, her longer, light hair spread outwards. She looked like the 'reward' in some of the more... questionable visual novels Chiaki sometimes dabbled in, Hajime usually leaving the room when it inevitably ended up with her boning some elf princess. “T-That's, ah, not the kind of lingerie you throw on for fun, yeah?” He finally said.

“Oh, I put it on for fun all the time.” She said dryly, scratching her stomach idly. “Though tonight I equipped these for an obviously different quest.” The corners of her mouth curled up into a smile, making Hajime blush.

“A-Ah.” Was all he could really say, Hajime doing his best to look her in the eyes, and not drop them to her more... pronounced assets.” Chiaki yawned again, making him focus a little more.

“To be honest, Hajime, tonight has drained my batteries and deprived me of my spoons.” Chiaki yawned, as if to underline her point. “So perhaps tonight is not the night to raise that flag, if we really want to have fun with that game.” She smirked, nodding to Hajime's hips, her fiance blushing furiously at her entendre. 

“C-Chiaki!” He protested, not being able to hide his smile. His fiance giggled to herself, rolling onto her to look at him better.

“You're too fun to poke, Hajime.” Chiaki sighed, closing her eyes contentedly. “I did want to have fun in here tonight, which is why I picked out my best stat-boosting garments, but turns out...” She yawned again, louder. “Proposing to the love of your life takes a bit more out of you then I'd expected.”

“I-It's fine.” He answered, an unbidden yawn coming to his lips now. “I'd worry I'd fall asleep halfway, so we can, um...” Chiaki smiled a little more, wiggling her way now under the blankets.

“Tomorrow, then.” She decided, now fully immersed in the small pile of thick blankets. “When spend the whole day...” Too tired, she just trailed off, leaving Hajime to wonder at the specifics of what she meant to say. Sighing to himself, he switched off the light and made his way to their bed, feeling Chiaki's chilly hands wrap around his chest for warmth as he slid under the blankets. He groaned a bit from the chill.

“Ahhh, that's a good hot water bottle.” She murmured, making Hajime groan.

“Is that what you say to a brand new fiance.” She didn't say anything for a long time, to the point Hajime wondered if she'd actually fallen asleep.

“...I'm glad I'm engaged to a... hot water bottle.” She said slowly, this time making her fiance hot water bottle sigh with amused annoyance.

“That's better.” They lay there, cuddling in the darkness, Hajime struggling a bit to drift off from the broken levy of emotion the night had provided. Cuddling closer to his fiance, he kissed on the cheek, outright amazed at how warm she was.

“Thanks for being the brave one tonight, Chiaki.” Hajime whispered, Chiaki's eyes opening a crack as she flashed a little, slightly pained smile.

“Itsa no problem.” She murmured, giggling a bit from her own sentence. “I... I just really want to get married.” After all the emotions spent at the party, Hajime couldn't help but grin at her blatant honesty. And, beyond that, he still wanted to cry his eyes out at her admission.

“I love you. More than ever.” Hajime whispered quietly to her. Chiaki's eyes opened a fraction, the lightest of smiles on her lips. She cuddled up a little more against him, mumbling to herself. “I'm so excited to go on this new journey with you.”

“Lovesh you... too.” She finally managed to get out, and then a long, quiet snore escaped her mouth. Chuckling to himself, Hajime held her closely as he finally got himself comfortable, reflecting on the night.

He was getting married. He still couldn't believe that Chiaki was the one to pop the question! Like he'd thought before, he knew she was happy and comfortable with the routine their relationship had formed over the years, but Hajime was sure she'd want to truly get married. But he was sure she wouldn't even really think of it before he planned to propose sometime next year.  
Chiaki had spent half a year planning to propose – bringing his parents to their side, forming plots with her friends, and even on top of so much happening with her work. She'd done all that, and he hadn't even realised. Maybe he was as dumb as he thought he was.

He didn't want to wait long. He didn't want her to wait long. They spent nine long, wonderful years in this rhythm of everyday life, but he knew they both wanted the next step to come sooner. She'd done so much in bringing them to this point – now it was his turn.

_ “I'll talk to Peko and Mikan in the morning.” _ Hajime thought, sleep clawing at his peripheral vision.  _ “And then I'll find out what the... actual process of planning a wedding is.”  _ He supposed he could actually ask his parents for advice, too – though he knew that was going to be a process in itself. Either way, he didn’t want one wasted month, one wasted week, hell, a wasted day - he wanted to be with her, to be her husband, as soon as humanly possible.

Chiaki Nanami, his wife.

The sheer thought kept him awake for another hour, before he passed out for a solid eleven hours, dreaming sweetly of the future at his doorstep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! We're pretty much in the endgame of this story now, probably with just a few more chapters to go! I would've liked to include a bit more content with the other Hope's Peak students, but I felt this was enough when coupled with the previous wedding chapter.


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